A screengrab from the CCTV footage of the incident. (Pic: @ForensicsZA).
The two had a misunderstanding over the amount the constable owed to the firm. When the accused was told about the loan amount (2.1 million shillings) on May 12, he reportedly started arguing with the victim.
An off-duty police constable in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, fatally shot a 39-year-old Indian money lender using a stolen AK-47 assault rifle. The motive behind the incident was reported to be a loan of 2.1 million shillings (approximately Rs 46,000).
Kampala Metropolitan Police apprehended a 30-year-old individual named Ivan Wabwire after he discharged multiple rounds of bullets at Uttam Bhandari on May 12. Chilling footage from the crime scene revealed the close-range attack by Wabwire, as stated by the Kampala-based newspaper Daily Monitor. Bhandari, the director of TFS financial services, was Wabwire’s client, as confirmed by the police.
The two had a misunderstanding over the amount the constable owed to the firm. When Wabwire was told about the loan amount (2.1 million shillings) on May 12, he reportedly started arguing with Bhandari, claiming that the figure was inflated, the report said.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango told the Daily Monitor that after shooting Bhandari, Wabwire abandoned his AK-47 rifle and fled.
Police have recovered 13 cartridges from the crime scene.
Wabwire has a history of mental instability and was banned five years ago from possessing a firearm after being admitted to a hospital twice over the mental breakdown, police said.
Wabwire, who is now being held at Busia police station in eastern Uganda, stole the gun from a fellow policeman and roommate, the report said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, met the Indian community in Uganda and assured them of their safety, the news portal, Nile Post reported.
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has demanded answers from security forces and questioned: “How an off-duty policeman accessed a gun.” “How are guns stored in the police? Did he (Wabwire) walk away from his guard post without permission with a gun to commit a crime? Is there no security at the site where the victim (Bhandari) was? Why did the local security allow an armed person who had no guard business into the building?” Museveni who is also the commander in chief of Uganda’s armed forces tweeted.
Uganda has witnessed a spurt in gun violence in recent times.
Earlier this month, a 26-year-old private security guard was shot dead by his colleague allegedly over a disagreement, the Daily Monitor report added.
(With inputs from PTI)