Police in Gulu district have arrested six people on allegations of siphoning 2,000 litters of diesel fuel estimated at Shs 6 million from Zhong Mei Engineering Group, a Chinese construction company working on the 70.3 kilometer Olwiyo-Gulu road.
According to police, the suspects are casual laborers with the Zhong Mei construction Group which has a base in Koch Goma Sub County in Nwoya district
Police says the suspects on several occasions connived to steal fuel from the company.
The suspects were arrested on Thursday and Friday last week after officials from Zhong Mei Engineering Group reported the theft of their fuel to police.
Aswa Regional Police Spokesperson, Jimmy Patrick Okema told the media yesterday at the Northern Uganda Media Club on Monday that police recovered 160 litters of diesel fuel from the suspects. In addition, Okema said, police recovered 14 empty jerrycans from the suspects which police say the suspect were using to siphon fuel from trucks.
Police identified some of the suspects as Kalib Ocan, Samuel Lutu, Innocent Odyek, Margaret Adoke, Morris Okello and another unidentified person.
Four of the suspects have been charged in court with theft and have since been remanded to Gulu central prison while two others are still being investigated by police.
“Our officers arrested the suspects from their different hideouts in Koch Goma and Koch Ongako Sub counties in Nwoya district after a tip off,’’ Okema said.
He further revealed that police had received several complaints from Chinese construction companies working on roads over theft by laborers.
