Police: Surgeon’s medical report proves PC Wabwire is mentally sound
Police has in a twist of events denounced an earlier account that the criminal Police Constable Ivan Wabwire is mentally ill.
While addressing the media on Monday, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga says when the suspect was arrested, police carried out a medical test with a Surgeon that revealed he is of sound mind.
He adds that police are still going to subject Wabwire to a psychiatric test to further check his mental status.
“Surgeons examined him and found that he is very normal. Afterward, we are going to take him to a psychiatrist. He has since recorded an extra-judicial statement before the Magistrate. From the records so far the officer is very normal and of sound mind, we will wait for the Psychiatrist,” Enanga said.
However, Enanga says Wabwire’s actions were premeditated.
Police: Surgeon’s medical report proves PC Wabwire is mentally sound
“The findings so far, clearly indicate that the actions of our officer were deliberate, planned and pre-meditated. On May 11, 2023, the suspect while in civilian clothes, met with Mr Uttam Bhandari, to establish his loan status and further discuss plans on how to trade it off, for a salary loan at Stanbic Bank, William Street Branch. He was not convinced by the outstanding loan quotation,” he says.
The errant cop who murdered Indian businessman Uttam Bhandari on Friday will be produced in courts of law on charges of murder by shooting. Wabwire was netted on Sunday by police officers attached to the Flying Squad unit in Busia, attempting to flee into the neighboring Kenya.
Bhandari was the director of TFS financial services at Rajja Chambers along Parliament Avenue.
The cop was captured by Closed Circuit Television –CCTV on Friday shooting Bhandari after the duo seemingly developing an argument. In the video footage, Wabwire fires live bullets at one of the CCTV cameras before corking the gun at Bhandari, hitting him to the ground.
He walks out of the crime scene and returns moments later and is seen picking documents on the table and firing more bullets at his victim to ensure his dead. The suspect then flees into hiding.
According to Enanga, Wabwire first acquired a loan worth one million shillings from TFS in 2020 which would accumulate an interest of 320,000 Shillings in 12 months. He acquired a second loan in 2021 of the same amount for the same interest rate and period but this time he defaulted.
Wabwire had gone to ask for a quotation so that the loan could be bought off by a bank.
“The suspect acquired an initial loan from TFS Financial Services on August 5, 2020 of Shs1, 000,000 with an interest of 320,000 after 12 months. The total remittance being 1,320,000 and or 12 monthly installments of Shs110,000. Again on the May 5, 2021, he acquired a second loan of Shs1,000,000 on similar terms, but defaulted on the loan,” Enanga said.
Over the weekend, Patrick Onyango the Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson said Wabwire was mentally ill and denied access to a gun while on deployment. He explained that the suspect was diagnosed with a health condition six years ago and only deployed in areas where fire arms are not required.
“Due to the suspect’s medical condition, Police management at CPS Kampala had taken a decision about six years ago not to arm the suspect with a gun and they have been deploying him in beats that do require him to be armed. His current deployment was at a CCTV monitoring center,” Onyango said.
He added : “Due to limited accommodation, the suspect was sharing a house with a fellow police officer. His housemate had worked at night and didn’t return the gun to the armory instead he went with it to their house shortly, he got a call that his child was sick, he rushed to go and check on the child leaving the gun behind,” Onyango explained.
Wabwire was sharing a room with Police Constable Steven Mulambo. Mulambo has since been dismissed from the force.
Police: Surgeon’s medical report proves PC Wabwire is mentally sound
