Rwanda National Police

In the morning hours of Thursday, Innocent Shyirambere parked his motorcycle in the town of Gisenyi in Rubavu District to run an errand; little did he know that there were some people who had targeted to steal it.

Few hours later, Shyirambere couldn’t find his motorcycle in a parking yard where he had left it. It had been stolen.

According to Police, the thieves stole the keys from him before stealing the motorcycle.

Investigations indicate that one Habibu Ndihariyimana stole keys from Shyirambere and escaped with the motorcycle and hid it in the house of another man identified as Felicien Sibomana in Busasamana Sector.

It is from there that the two suspected thieves, bounced back to Gisenyi where they started looking for potential buyers of the stolen motorcycle.

They approached a commercial motorcyclist in Gisenyi, whom they tried to trick that they were in the same profession and that they were looking for a buyer. At this point, the rightful owner of the motorcycle had reported the theft case at Gisenyi Police Station.

“The men sounded weird, they seemed not sure of what they were saying and they were contradicting each other. So, when they told me to help them get a buyer, I became suspicious and I informed Police,” the motorcyclist, name withheld, said.

“I actually told them that I had identified the buyer because I didn’t want them to go or run away, if my suspicion that they were thieves were true. I hadn’t heard of any stolen motorcycle that day but I had to trust my instincts,”

Both Ndihariyimana and Sibomana were arrested by police officers later, after they masqueraded as the buyers and the suspects guided them to where the motorcycle was hidden.

The motorcycle has since been returned to the owner.

“This is a true spirit of Community Policing that people should bare instead of rushing to transact a business or help someone conduct a business, even when they don’t know each other,” CIP Celestin Kamari, Rubavu District Police Commander, said.

“When people steal your property, it’s important that you rush to report the theft to the nearby Police station to easy quick response and timely recovery of the stolen item,” he added.

The suspects are currently held at Mahoko Police Station pending further investigations.

“You have to be the eyes of your neighbor and play your role in overcoming all kinds of criminality. Police is always appreciative and open at all times to residents who want to partner in overcoming crime and ensuring that our societies are safe and secure,” he said.

“We should ensure that even though crimes occur, we must ensure that those involved don’t escape justice.”

Under the Rwanda national Police (RNP) human security initiatives, it has so far donated at least 20 motorcycles and financial contributions to motorcycle and bicycle associations, and other crime preventers, in a bid to support the country’s poverty alleviation programme.