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Police in Nyagatare District, on Monday July 20, recovered 21 bags of cement, which were stolen from a site in Musheri Sector where the government is constructing school classrooms.
Three people, including suspected thieves and the buyer of the stolen cement, were arrested.
Those arrested are Jean Bosco Niyigaba, 35, and Frank Nkusi, 33, who were allegedly stealing the cement from the construction site and one Mitari Eugene, 45, who was buying it.
Niyigaba is a store manager at the construction site while Nkusi is the security guard.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, the Police spokesperson for the Eastern region, said that the arrests and subsequent recovery of the cement, followed information from a resident, who saw them transporting the bags on motorcycles.
"In the night of July 16, a resident saw Niyigaba and another man yet to be identified, carrying six bags of cement on two motorcycles. They somehow bumped into the resident, abandoned the cement and ran away," CIP Twizeyimana said.
He added: "The resident reported the matter to the Police, we followed up to the school construction site where Nkusi was interrogated and gave more details pointing at Niyigaba to be behind the whole theft.
They later admitted that they were working together and that they had already taken 21 bags of cement from the store, all sold to Mitari, from whose place the bags were later recovered."
The suspects have since been handed over to RIB at Musheri station.
The spokesperson commended the resident for the vigilance and reporting the matter to the Police.
"This is what we always say; if you are suspicious of something or someone, just inform law enforcement organs to follow up and find the truth of the matter. That way, we will be able to not only fight and prevent crimes, but also bring offenders to justice," CIP Twizeyimana said.
Theft, under article 166 of the law determining offences and penalties in Rwanda, attracts an imprisonment of one to two years and a fine of between Rwf1 million and Rwf2 million, a community service of six months or one of these penalties.
