Suspect Arrested in Entebbe for Stealing Car Number Plates

Handcuffed after his arrest on April 2, 2026, suspect Shafiq Ssewagaba holds up one of the several car number plates he was found to have stolen and hidden to use for blackmailing victims. (Credit: Uganda Police)

ENTEBBE, Uganda – A suspected thief who targeted parked vehicles, ripped off front number plates and demanded ransom for their return was arrested Thursday, more than a month after a homeowner’s security cameras captured him in the act.

Shortly before 3 a.m. on Feb. 23, an unidentified man jumped a gate into a compound in Kitala ward, Katabi Town Council in Wakiso district, according to CCTV footage. Within seconds, alarm systems on two parked vehicles were triggered as the burglar began prying off the plates. Unfazed by the noise, he removed both front plates and climbed over a wall in less than five minutes.

The resident, Margaret Nakasi, reported the theft to police and later placed an advertisement for the stolen plates in the New Vision newspaper, a requirement for official replacement.

Police in Entebbe, working with the Special Forces Command, tracked down Shafiq Ssewagaba, a resident of Nalugala in Katabi Town Council. He was found with nine car number plates believed to have been stolen.

A source familiar with the joint operation said the suspect left a note with a phone number at each crime scene, demanding between 100,000 and 200,000 shillings for the plates’ return. Security used that number to track him.

“Upon arrest, the suspect confessed to targeting parked vehicles, removing front number plates at night, and leaving a contact demanding between sh100,000 and sh200,000 for their return,” said Luke Owoyesigyire, deputy police spokesperson for Kampala metropolitan area.

Owoyesigyire said Ssewagaba had been stealing plates in Kisubi, Mpala and Abaita Ababiri. The suspect led officers to various hiding spots. Some plates had already been recovered by their owners.

Ssewagaba was detained at Entebbe Police station and is awaiting arraignment after the Easter holiday.