Police recover 723 phones, 460 SIM cards in Kampala building raid

• Police recovered 723 suspected stolen mobile phones from 12 shops at Cooper Complex.

• Officers also seized more than 460 used MTN and Airtel SIM cards and suspected phone-altering machines.

• Three recovered phones received calls from people who identified themselves as their rightful owners.

• Police arrested 13 suspects and opened a General Inquiry File to verify ownership of the recovered phones.

Police have recovered 723 suspected stolen mobile phones and more than 460 used SIM cards during an intelligence-led operation targeting suspected handlers of stolen phones in Kampala.

The operation took place on July 14, 2026, at Cooper Complex in Kampala, where officers searched 12 shops following a rise in phone theft and snatching across the Kampala Metropolitan area.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said officers also recovered machines suspected to have been used to alter mobile phone serial numbers.

"Following an increase in cases of phone theft and snatching within the Kampala Metropolitan area, the Uganda Police Force on July 14, 2026 conducted an intelligence-led operation targeting suspected handlers of stolen mobile phones," Owoyesigyire said.

He said preliminary investigations indicate that suspects tampered with the phones' serial numbers before selling them across borders, making it difficult for the rightful owners to trace or recover them.

Police also recovered more than 460 used MTN and Airtel SIM cards from one of the shops.

According to Owoyesigyire, investigators received an immediate breakthrough during the operation when three of the recovered phones rang.

"The callers identified themselves as the rightful owners and reported that the phones had been stolen from them in Makindye," he said.

Police have opened a General Inquiry File to establish ownership of all the recovered phones and return them to their rightful owners where possible.

Owoyesigyire said police arrested 13 suspects, who are undergoing screening as investigations continue.

The operation forms part of efforts by the Uganda Police Force to dismantle networks involved in handling stolen mobile phones and curb the growing cases of phone theft in Kampala.