Views: 17
Police in Pakwach district have arrested a male passenger, Ivan Mungungeyo on allegations of sexually assaulting a female passenger whilst aboard a Nile Star bus.
Mungungeyo, a resident of Wampewo Kasawe Zone, Kasangati town council, Wakiso district, was detained on Sunday after the victim, identified as Judith Jurua Tracy, 21, reported a case of indecent assault at Pakwach police station.
Josephine Angucia, West Nile region police spokesperson, explained that the incident occurred on Saturday night in Kichobonyobo village, Masindi district, when both the suspect and the victim were travelling on a Nile Star bus (registration number UBF 691T) from Kampala to Arua.
Preliminary reports indicate that the victim was initially assigned seat number 21 alongside another female passenger. However, upon reaching Luwero, the other female passenger disembarked, and the seat was reassigned to Mungungeyo.
Angucia reported that while the bus was in motion, Mungungeyo allegedly began touching the victim’s thigh and eventually exposed himself, rubbing his genitals on the victim’s sweater. This prompted the victim to raise an alarm and report the incident to the bus conductor.The bus conductor, who preferred anonymity confirmed the incident but noted that the suspect denied the allegations, claiming he had merely forgotten to zip up his trousers.
“When we questioned him, he denied the allegation and instead said that he forgot to zip his trousers and that’s why his genitals were exposed,” the conductor said.
According to the Annual Police Crime Report 2023, a total of 14,846 sex-related cases were reported to the police, an increase of 1.4 per cent from 14,693 cases in 2022. Additionally, there were 299 reported cases of indecent assault last year.
Related Stories