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Bandits injure tourists, rob travelers ...
2007-03-22 09:00:31
By Angel Navuri and Adam Ihucha
Armed robbers shot and seriously injured two tourists and a tour guide at Tengeru in Arusha, the police said yesterday. In another incident, thugs dressed in police uniform placed a false roadblock and robbed unsuspecting motorists.
The tourists, four Americans and a British national were walking from their hotel Mountain Village Hotel about three kilometers off the main road when two robbers attacked them at 11.30 am. They were on their way to Lake Duluti in Arumeru for site seeing.
The attackers shot tour guide Charles Safari on the head, before proceeding to shoot the two tourists, Jacquie Lutz and Raymond Mollisa.
The injured tourists were rushed to Nairobi for treatment, while Safari, who is in critical condition, was admitted to the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre.
According to Acting Arusha Regional Police Commander Evarist Mangala, the bandits then robbed the tourists of their belongings before running away.
President Jakaya Kikwete, who is in Arusha for a working tour, directed the regional police authorities to track down the bandits and bring them to justice.
The Arusha Regional Police Commander Basilio Matei, who was accompanying the President in his tour of Karatu District, had to rush back to Arusha yesterday in order to supervise an operation aimed at apprehending the armed robbers.
Late in the evening, Inspector General of Police Said Mwema called a press conference in Dar es Salaam and said the Police Force had formed a special team of senior officers to investigate the incident.
Mwema said the police would form a network codenamed Ujirani Mwema that would involve the wananchi. He said the network would be responsible for reporting to the police about crime incidents.
He said the wananchi would undergo special police training on how to use the network to curb crime.
He said the network would be reporting sensitive issues like robbery, carjacking and other occurrences such as armed robberies. The IGP said police would give a special present for anyone who would alert them.
Meanwhile, five bandits on Tuesday night put a section of the Arusha-Dodoma highway under siege for about half an hour.
They ambushed a number of cargo and small vehicles, robbing motorists and their passengers of an undisclosed amount of hard cash, police confirmed here yesterday.
The Acting Arusha Regional Police Commander, Evarist Mangala, told The Guardian yesterday that the deadly ambush was the second of its kind to occur within three weeks in Arusha Region.
The incident took place around 9:00pm at Kisongo Arumeru, along the Arusha-Dodoma main road.
``It is true that bandits dressed in traffic reflector jackets put an artificial barrier in the middle of the Arusha-Dodoma highway at Kisongo. They trapped a number of cargo vehicles before robbing their occupants of an unspecified amount of cash,`` Mangala said in a telephone interview.
The thugs continued with their illegal operation by stopping vehicles coming from either side. Mangala said the criminals then abruptly spotted a police patrol car heading their way, prompting them to abandon the illegal roadblock and dash into the bush.
Eyewitnesses say the incident occurred between 8.30 pm and 9:00 pm when the bandits, dressed in police traffic uniforms, placed a road block at Kisongo sub-location along the Arusha-Dodoma highway.
According to the statement, the whole exercise was conducted in a peaceful manner as there was no hail of gunfire as is normally experienced during such incidents.
``At first, most of motorists thought that the bandits were actually traffic police officers. It was until they had stopped their cars when it dawned upon them that it was a criminal setup,`` said the eyewitnesses.
``There was a considerable number of vehicles, but it was difficult to count them because it was too dark,`` they said.
The robbers ordered all passengers to lie on the ground facing downwards. They then stripped them and stole whatever they had, then ransacked the cars for more goodies, including luggage.
Having accomplished their mission, they ordered the victims to peacefully proceed with their journey.
Among the stolen items were phone handsets, wrist watches, gold chains, necklaces and money.
No one knows the exact loss incurred. Police investigations are underway.
Following the incident, the police have launched a comprehensive manhunt.
The incident comes hardly three weeks since four people of Somali origin who were brandishing AK-47 assault rifles ambushed a tourist car.
The incident took place at a remote border area of the world`s most famous caldera, Ngorongoro Crater. The bandits snatched cash and other belongings from the tourists.
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