Man arrested over banana theft found dead in police custody

A 32-year-old man who had been arrested over an alleged theft has died while in custody at Apac Central Police Station, raising questions from his relatives about the circumstances of his death.

According to a report first published by Monitor, the deceased has been identified as Jimmy Odongo, an askari working at A-One Hotel in Village Inn Cell, Teibu Ward, Agulu Division in Apac Municipality.

Odongo was arrested on March 7, 2026 together with a colleague, Geoffrey Okwir, after a group of unidentified people reportedly broke into the hotel restaurant and stole a bunch of bananas.

However, Odongo was found dead in police custody on the morning of March 10, 2026. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.

Family members say they were shocked when they learnt that he had died. They are demanding a clear explanation from the police.

Patrick Otim, an elder in the family, claimed Odongo died while still handcuffed inside the police cell.

“He was being held in a separate cell while still in handcuffs. When he died, they took the body to the mortuary and told us he had died at the hospital,” Otim said.

Another relative, Francis Ayo, said he received a phone call from a mortuary attendant informing him that Odongo’s body had been brought to Apac Hospital mortuary.

“I was told to go to the mortuary because the police had brought Odongo’s body there. I was surprised because he had not been sick,” Ayo said.

Reports indicate that the body was taken to Apac Hospital mortuary at about 9am using a police patrol vehicle.

When contacted, North Kyoga regional police spokesperson Patrick Jimmy Okema said he had not yet received official information about the incident.

“This is the third time I am receiving calls about the matter, but I have not yet been briefed. Let me first check with the territorial police,” Okema said.

Apac Resident District Commissioner Andrew Onyuk also said his office had not yet received a report about the alleged death. He said he would verify the information before making any comment.

Authorities are expected to investigate the incident to establish how the suspect died while in custody.