A burglary and theft suspect has died after he was allegedly assaulted by a mob in Kassanda district shortly after escaping from police custody.
The deceased has been identified as Derrick Kasumba, alias Kalevu, 30, who was being held at Manyogaseka sub-county police station in connection with a burglary and theft case.
According to Wamala Regional Police spokesperson Lameck Kigozi, Kasumba escaped from lawful custody at about 9 am while he was being escorted to the toilet. Police Constable Aaron Nalyanya, who was guarding the suspect, reportedly failed to prevent his escape.
Police were alerted about an hour later, at around 10 am, after the officer in charge of Manyogaseka Police Station, Emmanuel Ogwang, received information that Kasumba had been intercepted by a mob in Lwenyange village.
Kigozi said Ogwang immediately instructed Nalyanya to proceed to the scene and re-arrest the suspect. Nalyanya reportedly hired a boda boda and travelled to the village, where he found the mob still assaulting Kasumba. The group reportedly fled when they saw the police officer.
The officer retrieved the badly injured suspect, placed him on the motorcycle and transported him back to the police station.
“On reaching the station, his condition deteriorated. He could not stand by himself. He was immediately evacuated to Kyansaswa health centre III for medical attention. It is absurd that he was pronounced dead,” Kigozi said.
Kasumba’s body was later conveyed to Mityana General Hospital for a postmortem examination to establish the exact cause of death. Police have opened investigations into the circumstances surrounding the assault and death, including how the suspect escaped from custody and the events leading to the mob attack.
Kigozi said police were also working to identify and apprehend the people who participated in the assault.
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