Stolen vehicle recovered in Darfur

KIGALI - Police are holding two men for allegedly stealing a vehicle which they took to the Southern Sudan. Noel Gasamunyiga, 29, and Emmanuel Ndumuhire,38, who were arrested recently were handed to the Rwandan police yesterday by the Ugandan branch of Interpol who had also received them from their counterparts in Darfur.

Sunday, January 31, 2010
Gasamunyiga (L) and Ndumuhire (R) infront of the vehicle they allegedly stole. (Photo/ B. Asiimwe)

KIGALI - Police are holding two men for allegedly stealing a vehicle which they took to the Southern Sudan.

Noel Gasamunyiga, 29, and Emmanuel Ndumuhire,38, who were arrested recently were handed to the Rwandan police yesterday by the Ugandan branch of Interpol who had also received them from their counterparts in Darfur.

Police spokesperson, Erick Kayiranga confirmed the arrests.
The arrests came after SORAS; a local insurance company where the vehicle was insured reported it missing.

It is said that Gasamunyiga on December 10 last year hired this vehicle registration No. RAB 612L from one Egide Gahamanyi to take passengers to Kampala-Uganda.

However, he was never seen again. It is further alleged that when he reached Kampala, he partnered with Ndumuhire and took the vehicle to Darfur.

"In partnership with Uganda and Darfur Interpol, we managed to trace the vehicle and to arrest the suspects,” Kayiranga said.

It is also said that the Rwandan peacekeepers in Darfur had also alerted Kigali police about the same vehicle.

The two suspects who by press time were still held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in Kacyiru however, say that they had not stolen the vehicle.
"When I reached Kampala I immediately got another job to take people to Darfur,” Gasamunyiga said dismissing theft claims.

Gasamunyiga who says has been in the transport business for a couple of years hails from Huye while Ndumuhire hails from Gisagara District, both in the Southern Province.

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