Police authorities in Bor town of Jonglei State have arrested 5 suspected bandits and handed over nearly 2 million SSP recovered from them to traders, weeks after a manhunt was launched for the thugs who robbed a boat in July.
On July 23, a commercial boat traveling along the Nile between Unity and Jonglei State was attacked by armed men in Jonglei’s Machar area. 15 businessmen were briefly detained and robbed of 3.5 million SSP and USD 1,100.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj over the weekend, Joseph Mayen Akoon, the Jonglei police commissioner, said: “Three days ago, we handed over 1,990,000 SSP and 1,100 USD to the owners in Bor. Shortly after the incident, we launched a crackdown on those people and so we arrested 5 of them in Mandoba Island and recovered that amount.”
The police commissioner said the 5 suspects are being held in the state capital, Bor town, as investigations continue.
“They told us that the remaining money is with somebody else in Juba. So, hopefully, we will be able to recover that sum. We experienced several such incidents along the Nile. We will not just free these people. They are being investigated and will be arraigned before the court,” he added.
One of the businessmen who was a victim, Matiel Rik, welcomed the move taken by the Jonglei authorities.
“We received some of the money which was looted from us last month. We are left with 1.5 million SSP and we hope the officials in Jonglei will also recover it,” Rik said.