A Gulu businessman man is crying foul after losing 7 million shillings in a botched car deal with a South Sudanese national.
It all started when a man identified as Job Omony Oywak approached Eric Okello, a Gulu businessman offering to sell him a double cabin Tata Diesez vehicle bearing a South Sudanese number plate.
It later turned out that Omony who is a board member of an indigenous South Sudanese NGO, Reproductive Health of Association of south Sudan, had allegedly stolen the car valued at US$ 64,000 in December last year.
The international police, Interpol, traced the South Sudan registered car to Uganda after Omony was arrested in South Sudan, leading Interpol to Eric Okello in Gulu.
Uganda police detectives on Wednesday last week found the car parked at home near Unyama trading centre, about 5kms along the Gulu- Kitgum road.
Eric Okello, according to documents, first paid Omony two million shillings for the car after which Omony kept picking ‘‘small’’ amounts of money from Okello leading to the accumulation of the 7 million.
Reuben Godson Ladur, the Program Officer of the South Sudanese NGO said on Tuesday that Omony drove the stolen car through Magwir through Ngom Oromo in Lamwo district (Uganda) to Gulu district where is he is alleged to have sold it to Eric Okello.
Ladur said in an attempt to avoid the car from being traced, Omony changed its number plate from NNGO 61/2 to EE 981A.
The car was handed over to officers from South Sudan Interpol and the representatives from South Sudanese bases NGO at Aswa Regional Police Headquarters in Gulu.
By press time Okello was being questioned while Omony is being held by police in South Sudan.
Vehicles belonging to International NGOs such as UN agencies are a target of thieves who steal and sneak them into Uganda.
