Police in Karongi District have intercepted a truck loaded with materials said to have been stolen from a Chinese company – China Road and Bridge Corporation – currently constructing the road that connects Rusizi, Karongi and Rubavu districts.

The truck, a Fuso registration number RAC 105A, was intercepted on Sunday in Gacaca Cell of Rubengera Sector.

The recovered materials include; spare parts of the tractors and other machines, and iron bars used to construct bridges, among others.

Police spokesperson for the Western Province, Chief Inspector of Police Théobald Kanamugire, said the truck was at the time headed to Kigali.

"The Chinese firm had filed a case of theft of their materials and during investigations we received information of a truck that was loading equipment believed to be scrap in Cyanya Cell of Gishyita Sector and a check-point was mounted, the vehicle was intercepted and the equipment recovered,” CIP Kanamugire said.

"They had covered the stolen items with genuine scrap to avoid being detected, but because we had credible information that some of the metals were new and loaded in secrecy, we asked them to offload all of them and that’s how the victims identified their materials,” he noted

The recovered construction materials and spare parts which have since been handed over to the owners, are valued at Rwf9 million.

"The vehicle has since been impounded, and the driver arrested but we are still searching for a one Karangwa, who is the lead suspect in this case,” he added.

CIP Kanamugire thanked the residents for facilitating investigations and urged them to continue with the spirit in fighting and preventing crimes through real time information sharing.

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