Police in Kakumiro District are holding Ruth Ainembabazi, the wife of a local businessman, following a violent robbery that left her husband, 45-year-old Jackson Tumwebazi, critically injured.
The attack occurred on Monday night at around 9 p.m. in Rusolera village, Rwembuba Parish, Kijangi Sub-county, as the couple was returning home from their shop.
Eyewitnesses say three armed men emerged from the roadside bushes and ordered the couple to surrender a bag believed to contain cash. When Tumwebazi resisted, one of the assailants shot him in the leg before making off with the bag. The attackers fired several shots in the air as they fled, sending residents scampering for safety.
Alarmed by the gunfire, neighbours rushed to the scene and later alerted police.
Tumwebazi, who sustained a deep leg wound, told investigators he believed the robbers had been monitoring their movements and lying in wait.
Albertine Region Police spokesperson Julius Hakiza confirmed Ainembabazi’s arrest, saying she is being held at Kakumiro Central Police Station to assist with investigations. Detectives, he noted, are probing the possibility of an inside hand in the attack.
“Two cartridges were recovered at the scene as exhibits, and we are treating the case as aggravated robbery,” Hakiza said.
Meanwhile, Tumwebazi is receiving medical treatment as police continue tracking the armed gang behind the attack.