Rwanda National Police RNP and Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) have recovered Frw4,110,000, which was recently stolen from a British national after thieves broke into her vehicle in Kigali Downtown.
The money was recovered from two suspected thieves, both in their early twenties, who were also taken into custody. The money was on Saturday, April 15, handed over to the victim, Walker Jemrose Leanora, the head of Young Citizens of Rwanda, a charity organization that supports vulnerable youth and children.
Walker said that on April 12, she withdrew £3000 and exchanged it into local currency (Frw4,110,000) but left the money in her vehicle.
“I am so happy to receive this money because it was what we withdrew from the bank to pay for third term school fees for our 22 secondary students that we support.
So, many children would be suffering because we did not know how to replace that money for them to go to school,” Walker said.
When she discovered that the money was gone, she said, it was her grandchildren that made her feel at ease that the money would be found.
“They (grandchildren) said: do not worry, you will get the money back, our Police will find them (thieves). So, I reported the theft to Nyarugenge Police. I was building myself to accept that it was gone…to call friends for further support, then I received this call that all the money had been recovered. The Police and RIB have been thorough, and we appreciate that,” she added.
The RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, said that a motorcycle, which the two arrested suspects had used to escape, after breaking into the car and stealing the money, was also impounded.
“They trailed the victim from the bank, and they were identified from the CCTV footage. Frw2,600,000 was recovered from one suspect while Frw1.5 million was recovered from the other,” CP Kabera said.
One of the suspects, a resident of Nyamirambo sector in Nyarugenge District, is a former convict, who served two years at Nyarugenge prison for the same felony of breaking into vehicles to steal valuables. He was released in December last year after completing the sentence.
He was previously arrested on three different occasions and taken to Kigali Transit Centre for rehabilitation and later in 2017 taken to Iwawa Rehabilitation Centre.
The second suspect was arrested in February this year for stealing a television flat screen but taken to Kigali Transit Centre for rehabilitation.
CP Kabera said that sharing information in real time is crucial in facilitating investigations.
“Real time information helps law enforcement arrive at the scene swiftly to collect evidence. When you delay, it affects investigations in one way or another,” CP Kabera said.
He also sent a message to influencers and other people using social media platforms to report theft and other crimes, to always labour to give detailed information that facilitates successful investigations.
Out of 30 people, who reported cases of theft on social media platforms, last month, CP Kabera said, only 11 gave further information as requested by the Police.
He also advised the public that security matters and theft in particular, although they can inform local leaders on any related incident, these are security issues that are largely handled by law enforcements and should be reported to the nearest Police station.
“We know groups of young people at Giti k’inyoni, Gisozi, Gatsata, Gikondo and other areas, who spend the whole day loitering waiting for darkness to start stealing from cars, snatching phones and other valuables from people, breaking into houses, and those who steal clothes from drying ropes in homes.
The advice to them is that they should not spend the whole day thinking of how to steal, but rather to have positive thinking of what to do to change their lives,” the spokesperson reiterated. (End)