An off-duty police constable in Kampala, Uganda shot and killed a 39-year-old Indian money lender named Uttam Bhandari on May 12 over a dispute regarding a loan of 2.1 million shillings. The constable, Ivan Wabwire, had a history of mental instability and had stolen an AK-47 assault rifle from a fellow policeman and roommate. After shooting Bhandari, Wabwire fled the scene and abandoned the rifle. Police have recovered 13 cartridges from the crime scene.
Bhandari was the director of TFS financial services and a client of Wabwire. The two had a misunderstanding over the amount Wabwire owed the firm, and he argued that the loan figure was inflated. Wabwire has been arrested and is being held at Busia police station in eastern Uganda.
President Yoweri Museveni has demanded answers from security forces regarding how an off-duty policeman accessed a gun and why there was no security at the site where the victim was. Uganda has seen a rise in gun violence in recent times.
