Night Burglary Hits Multiple Shops in Yei Town

(YEI RIVER COUNTY) – At least five shops in Yei town were targeted in a night burglary along the Eden–Modison area on the Hai Jamia route. Radio Spirit reported.

The incident, which occurred on Monday night, involved unknown individuals who broke into several businesses and stole cash and goods worth millions South Sudanese Pounds on Tuesday this week.

Among the affected premises was Twins Hardware, where suspects reportedly vandalized and dismantled CCTV cameras before fleeing with money and assorted items.

The Chairperson of the Yei River Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture confirmed that five shops were targeted, along with an additional attempted break-in at Twins Hardware.

According to the report, four shops were successfully broken into, while two others were also targeted but the suspects failed to gain access.

In one of the shops, thieves stole about four to five laptops and an unspecified amount of money from a stationery business. In another, they took items such as soft drinks, biscuits, and alcohol. A third shop dealing in clothes had its door broken, but the suspects did not complete the break-in. In another case, the trader could not immediately identify the stolen items, while in the fifth shop, the suspects fled after reportedly finding someone inside.

Luate Justin assured affected traders that security agencies are actively pursuing the perpetrators and are working to bring them to justice. He also urged business owners across the town to strengthen security measures around their premises, citing the limited capacity of night patrol teams despite ongoing joint operations with other security forces in the county.

“Authorities are following up and the culprits will be apprehended. We are collaborating through the county security committee, and there has been deployment to areas like Dar es Salaam and the hawkers’ section where clothes are sold. However, the force is not enough to cover the entire town. There are efforts by police to conduct night patrols, but it should be a collective responsibility. Traders are advised to take initiatives such as hiring guards or occasionally sleeping in their shops to deter burglars,” he added.

Authorities say investigations are underway and efforts are being made to apprehend the suspects.

Business owners have been urged to strengthen security measures, including hiring private guards and improving surveillance, as security forces continue night patrols despite limited capacity to cover the entire town.

Efforts to obtain comments from affected shop owners were unsuccessful by the time of this report.