Police CID Arrests Six Forex Thieves, all Foreigners

JUBA – Police section of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Sunday caught and arrested six criminals, all foreigners from neighboring countries of Uganda and Kenya while in the act of looting Kiik Forex Bureau from nearby shop.The said criminals hired the nearby shop which they turned into computer centre with the plan to dig a large hole in the wall separating the shop from the forex centre for accessing the forex to loot it.The criminals paraded outside Juba Prison for the media to see used sophisticated equipment including electronic welding machine to cut forex’s chest used for keeping money.The owner of the hired shop was also caught red handed bringing food and other additional sophisticated tools for the criminals hiring his shop for the purpose of looting the forex.Reports indicated that the shop owner agreed with the criminals to lock them in the shop in the weekend and later disappeared after looting the Forex money.Police spokesperson, Col. James Monday addressing the pressmen outside prison vowed that the South Sudan police will crackdown on foreigners who have come into the country for the purpose of stealing and committing other criminal deeds.He called on the police officers at the country’s borders to be vigilant about influx of foreign criminals.Court case according to him was opened against the said criminals and investigations were on-going and the arrested persons would later appear before the court to face justice.He assured the public of protection both of their lives and properties from the foreign criminals and urged the public to cooperate with the police and feed them with information about suspicious elements in their surroundings.Meanwhile Mayen Gabriel Kuir, Forex manager in an interview in his office pointing to the dug hole through the wall from the neighbouring shop said on arrival last Sunday afternoon to file monthly report when he entered the room he sense danger. When he opened the door one of the criminals charged at him with a knife and he slammed the door on his face and got out. The he made an alarm calling out to the people in the street thief, thief and soon the area was filled by businessmen and women in Juba town park who came with stones and clubs but the thieves were quickly caught and taken away by the CIP personnel whom he called for. On police arrival he said the criminals at first resisted arrest for hours where they were holed up. It was feared that they might have guns inside with them but later the CID men stormed the room. Sources within the CID said the criminals while performing their duty inside the shop were breaking the wall separating their shop and the forex and have been communicating with outside planners to supply more equipment to help them succeed to cut through the chest.The Forex manager said his report to the centre made the criminal not to be able to take money from the chest despite many attempts to cut the layers of the chest.The Citizen reporter on tour with police CID officials saw the dug hole in the wall were the criminals entered the forex room and tried to cut open the chest and steal the money in it. Some of the foreigners who have made their way to South Sudan after independence have been committing numerous crimes of such nature including counterfeiting country’s currency and the American dollar.