Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of SC Villa captain David Owori after tracing the footballer’s stolen iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The suspects, identified as Bashir Munyaneza, alias “Jemo”, who is believed to deal in stolen mobile phones, and his associate, Samuel Magoba, are being held by police as investigations continue.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said the arrests followed efforts to track Owori’s phone, which helped investigators uncover a wider network allegedly involved in the theft and robbery of electronic devices in Kampala and other parts of the country.
Further police operations led to the recovery of four bags containing dozens of mobile phones and other electronic devices believed to have been stolen.
The recovered items include 80 iPhones, 40 Samsung phones, eight Redmi phones, two Tecno phones, two Infinix phones, two Vivo phones and three button phones.
Police also recovered four phone motherboards, three iPads and SIM cards belonging to MTN, Safaricom, Airtel and Lyca. Several ladies’ bags containing identification documents, as well as phone covers and hard drives, were also recovered.
“Investigations are ongoing to establish the full network behind the operation and to link the exhibits to other reported cases of robbery and theft in Kampala and surrounding areas,” Rusoke said.
Police have asked members of the public who have recently lost mobile phones or other valuables to visit designated police stations and check whether their property is among the recovered items.
Owori, 26, was attacked at about 8pm on Tuesday while returning home from training along Nalinya-Mpologoma Road in Dubai Zone, Makindye, a Kampala suburb.
According to police, the attackers, who were reportedly travelling on a motorcycle, struck Owori with paving stones before taking his iPhone, another mobile phone and money.
The attackers fled, leaving the footballer unconscious in a drainage channel.
Owori was first rushed to Sir Albert Cook Hospital for emergency treatment before being transferred to Case Hospital, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
He died from his injuries on Wednesday morning.
