Police in Kasese District have launched a manhunt for two suspects accused of attempting to rape a 29-year-old woman before cutting off her right ear during a violent attack in the early hours of Thursday. The victim, Moreen Masika, a resident of Kidodo Cell, Railway Ward in Central Division, Kasese Municipality, was reportedly attacked at about 1:15am while travelling on a motorcycle with her brother-in-law. According to police, the attackers blocked the road using stones, forcing the motorcycle to stop before one of the suspects, who was allegedly wearing a black mask, emerged from nearby bushes and threatened the victim. “The victim together with her brother-in-law on a motorcycle were blocked after unknown people placed stones on the road before one of the suspects attempted to rape her,” police spokesperson ASP Maate Elly said. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Police said the suspect allegedly threatened to kill and rape the woman before a struggle broke out.
During the attempted assault, the victim reportedly fought back by biting the suspect’s tongue. “As the suspect tried to kiss the victim, she bit his tongue. He then picked a sharp object from his bag and cut off her right ear,” Maate said. The second suspect reportedly engaged the motorcycle rider in a struggle, but the attack was interrupted when another boda boda rider arrived at the scene, forcing the suspects to flee. Police said the rider managed to identify one of the fleeing suspects as a fellow boda boda rider believed to be a resident of Kidodo Cell, a development investigators hope will assist in the search. The victim was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital for treatment, where she remains admitted. Police later visited the scene and documented evidence before recovering the severed ear, which was taken to Kasese Municipality Health Centre mortuary as part of the investigation.
“The suspects fled when another boda boda rider approached the scene. Investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest all those involved,” Maate said. Police have appealed to members of the public with information that could help identify or locate the suspects to report to the nearest police station as investigations continue.
