Rwanda National Police

Losing your valuables to thieves may sometimes turn into a cumbersome and problematic ordeal, especially when it involves crossing borders to another country.

One man’s ordeal however ended successfully, when Rwanda National Police (RNP) in connection with Interpol, recovered his iPhone and arrested the culprit who had fled with it from Uganda to Rwanda.

Late last month, Ronald Mulumba, a businessman lost his Iphone worth US$1200; although he had lost all hope of finding it, he filed a complaint with Uganda Police Force, through i-24 Interpol Tool.

This tool is installed at all Rwanda’s borders – and it was developed to enhance police communications and connect law enforcement officers in all Interpol member countries.

It is through this that information about this phone reached RNP, through which investigators realized that the suspect had crossed into Rwanda.

Investigations commenced and the suspect was arrested within a few days. Mulumba was informed about this and he traveled to Kigali on October 10, where he was handed his phone by police.

“It is not very common that small gadgets are recovered, and I am very grateful to Rwanda National Police for this professional work. I value the information on my phone and I am grateful that I got in in good condition. Other police institutions in the region should learn from this endeavor and improve public trust,” he said.

A phone may be a small gadget, but RNP does not undermine any investigation and always puts safety of people and property ahead, no matter the size of crime, according to Commissioner for Interpol, ACP TONY Kuramba.

“Through a strong partnership with Interpol and other police institutions, RNP has foiled very many cross border crimes. This is only one example of some crimes that we have foiled. It will serve as an example to all criminals who think that they can commit a crime in one country and run to another without repercussions,” he said.

“Much as national boundaries all over the world have become increasingly meaningless to criminals, effective and timely police communication across borders is more important than ever before, and that is why police cooperation is vital in preventing such illegal acts.”