A 32-year-old businesswoman in Kakumiro district was hacked to death by unknown assailants who reportedly raided her home and made off with Shs 17.5 million in cash.
The deceased has been identified as Alice Natukunda, a resident of Kisiita East Cell in Kakumiro district, western Uganda. According to preliminary police findings, the attack occurred at around 9 pm on Saturday when a group of masked men armed with machetes stormed Natukunda’s home.
The assailants reportedly demanded money from the businesswoman after gaining access to the house. When she declined to hand over the cash, the attackers allegedly hacked her several times on the head, face and neck, killing her instantly.
The suspects are also said to have threatened two other occupants of the house, including the deceased’s husband, Justus Tugumisirize, warning them against raising an alarm.
After the attack, the assailants reportedly fled with a bag containing Shs 17.5 million cash belonging to Natukunda before disappearing to an unknown destination Tugumisirize later reported the incident to Kakumiro police, who responded to the scene and launched investigations.
Albertine regional police spokesperson Julius Hakiza confirmed the incident and said a team of Flying Squad detectives had been deployed to track down the suspects.
He said the body was taken to Kakumiro health centre IV mortuary for a post-mortem examination before being handed over to relatives for burial arrangements.
Based on the details reported so far, there appear to be some unanswered questions surrounding this incident. How did the assailants know that money was being kept in the house, and how did they know where to find it?
In many robbery cases, attackers are reported to threaten family members in an attempt to obtain information about valuables. In this case, however, the reports suggest that when the woman allegedly refused to hand over the cash, she was killed, and there has been no mention of other family members, particularly her husband, being similarly pressured to reveal the location of the money.
Of course, media reports do not always capture all the facts, and it is possible that important details have been omitted. Nevertheless, the circumstances described raise questions that warrant thorough investigation. In particular, the nature of the killing appears unusual and may suggest that there was more to the incident than a simple robbery. It is important that investigators establish the full facts before any conclusions are drawn.