Lira based Indian investor losses sunflower worth Shs100m
LIRA – An Indian investor in Lira City has lost 54 tons of sunflower seeds worth Shs100m to suspected thieves.
The grains according to sources, started disappearing in January but the proprietor of the oil milling factory, Nasir Muhammad detected the syndicate a week ago and rushed to police for urgent intervention.
“The theft started in January but I detected it when I saw the level of sunflowers in my store going down,” Nasir said.
Nasir said he took an initiative to measure all the grains but later he discovered that over 50tons were missing and he had made a loss of Shs100m.
The incident prompted both the Pakistani and Indian investors in the City to raise red flags and concern over the security of their oil milling factories and doubt of doing business in the industrial city.
Atiqe Nwaze Muhammad, the Chairperson of Pakistani Association in the Lango sub region urged the police to urgently investigate the matter, arrest the suspect and arraign in court to restore confidence in them.
He accused the police of not arresting the two suspects who participated in the theft and sold the stolen goods to one of their colleagues [Bahadur Khan].
“This thing is coming to a week, police are just coming to grab sunflowers daily in the name of recovering exhibits from our friend,” he says.
The police said they recovered 5tons of seeds in Khan’s factory located at the industrial area, Lira City East division.
But Khan also said, it was delivered to him by one identified as Opio, the landlord of Nasir.
“It is so worrying for us to do business in this City because we are losing daily,” Atige said, while meeting the Resident City Commissioner, Lawrence Egole, OC operation, Ivan Karenga, Chairperson Deo Kibirige of Uganda national chamber of commerce, Lira branch.
The investors totalling to about 30 met the security team on 24th in an attempt to sort out a misunderstanding between them and the police.
Surjit Singh, the Chairperson of the Indian community in Lira said, they have employed more than 200 people and the police should treat them equally without exception.
But the police said, the prime suspect, Moses Opio and two others are still on the run and whoever has the clue on his whereabouts should tip them.
Khan claimed that it’s now one week, the prime suspect is not arrested yet he has all the records including his contact.
“Instead, in my police bond form is written breaking into a store, carrying stolen goods and again receiving stolen goods, how can it be,” he wondered.
https://thecooperator.news/lira-produce-sacco-requests-msc-to-probe-emyooga/
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