A 34 year old Congolese national has been arrested in Wakiso District over allegations of buying stolen mobile phones in Uganda and transporting them across the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The suspect, identified as Justine Kulimushi, was arrested during a joint operation by Nansana Police and intelligence officers after investigators linked him to a suspected cross border network dealing in stolen phones.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Public Relations Officer ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, the arrest followed months of investigations that began after an iPhone worth about Shs3 million was reported stolen at Nansana Police Station on April 21, 2026.
“Tracing of the stolen phone revealed that it had been taken to Kalungi Plaza and later transported to Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Owoyesigyire said.
Investigators later gathered intelligence indicating that Kulimushi regularly travelled to Uganda to purchase stolen phones before ferrying them to Congo for resale.
Police said fresh information received on August 20 indicated that the suspect had returned to Kalungi Plaza to buy more stolen devices, prompting officers to mount an operation that led to his arrest.
“Further intelligence indicated that the suspect frequently travelled to Uganda to purchase stolen phones for transportation to Congo,” Owoyesigyire said.
During the operation, officers recovered 27 second hand mobile phones of different makes and models, many of which had reportedly been factory reset or flashed, a process investigators say is commonly used to erase ownership data and make stolen devices harder to trace.
Police believe the recovered phones were stolen from different parts of Kampala Metropolitan before being assembled for resale to the suspect and other dealers operating within the network.
“The phones are suspected to have been stolen from different parts of Kampala Metropolitan and collected for resale to the suspect and other dealers,” Owoyesigyire said.
Kulimushi remains in police custody as detectives work to establish the origin of the recovered phones, identify their rightful owners and trace other individuals believed to be involved in the suspected trafficking ring.
The case highlights the growing challenge of cross border trafficking of stolen mobile phones between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly through trading centres that serve as collection points for second hand electronics. Police have in recent years intensified operations against criminal networks involved in phone theft, robbery and the illegal resale of mobile devices.
Police have urged anyone who has lost a mobile phone to report the matter at the nearest police station and provide identifying details such as the phone’s IMEI number to aid recovery efforts.
“We appeal to members of the public who have lost mobile phones to report to the nearest police station and provide relevant details to assist in their recovery,” Owoyesigyire said.
