Police in S. Sudan arrest seven robbery suspects

April 7, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan police on Tuesday paraded seven suspected armed criminals allegedly behind several robberies in the capital, Juba.

South Sudan police officers on patrol (Photo courtesy of the UN)

The police spokesman, Monday Enocka, said the suspects were involved in bank robberies, breaking into hotels and hijacking cars.

“They were arrested in one mini-bus, heavily armed with guns and metal rods,” Enocka told reporters at a media briefing in Juba.

“These criminals are all foreigners. They are not South Sudanese,” he added, but declined to disclose nationalities of those arrested.

In recent weeks, Juba has witnessed a surge in armed robberies including a raid at a lodge in Sherikat, a Juba suburb, that left two people injured and 240,000 South Sudan pounds stolen last month.

A Kenyan national, Police said, was arrested in the same lodge in Sherikat, hours after the attack, but the armed men remain at large.

Enocka said Police investigations will establish how foreign national access guns in South Sudan.

“We shall ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out and anybody involved in this crime will be brought to books,” he said.

In February, for instance, a Juba-based commercial bank was robbed of undisclosed amounts of money and a police guard killed.

To date, suspects in the day robbery are still on the run.

Meanwhile, police has urged residents to alarm them on the 777 hotline, amid public outcry on their slow response to emergencies.

(ST)