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A woman who tragically succumbed to injuries inflicted by her ex-husband has become the subject of a police investigation after her body was stolen from the mortuary.
According to initial reports, the woman, Aisha Nandudu, 32, suffered severe injuries meted out by her jilted husband, Abdu Baluku, a Kampala-based businessman. This led to her admission to Mulago Hospital on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
Despite the efforts of medical staff to save her life, she tragically succumbed to her injuries, according to the police.
However, shock and disbelief gripped investigators probing the assault case and some senior hospital staff when it was discovered that the woman's body had been stolen from the hospital.
Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, said, “Upon learning of his wife's death, the husband hastily arrived at the hospital and allegedly stealthily claimed the body for burial in accordance with Muslim tradition.”
He confirmed that Baluku, 36, a resident of Kakajjo, Kampala Central, is currently in police custody as the prime suspect in the case.
Owoyesigyire explained that bodies of assault victims are not discharged from Mulago mortuary without a postmortem and police clearance, which was not the case in Nandudu’s incident.
“As we moved to Mulago for a postmortem, we found that the body had been taken for burial under unclear circumstances. We are working on exhuming the body to aid the probe,” Owoyesigyire said.
How the prime suspect managed to move the body from Mulago Hospital remains a subject of investigation as Old Kampala Police detectives continue to probe.
The detectives spent the greater part of yesterday tracing where Nandudu was buried in her ancestral Mbale district, according to Owoyesigyire.
When contacted, David Niwamanya, the Mulago hospital administrator, said, “The matter had not been brought to my attention. I need to cross-check.”
He later revealed that such names (victim) do not exist in their register. However, subsequently, Niwamanya referred Torch Media to the police.
“Police should be able to make a comment since they are investigating the matter,” he told Torch Media via telephone.
The attack
A preliminary police report indicates that on May 10, 2024, at 1:00 a.m., around Kakajjo Zone in Kisenyi Parish, Kampala Central, one Baluku received information from a yet-to-be-established person that his wife was engaged in a tryst with another man in a lodge near their home.
“He became too violent, located, and seriously assaulted Nandudu, who started vomiting blood, but he allegedly continued beating and kicking her until she became unconscious. She was rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she died,” Owoyesigyire said, adding that an initial assault case had also been reported at Kasato Police Post, attached to Old Kampala Police Station.
The Police annual crime report indicates that 14,681 domestic violence cases were reported to police in 2023 compared to 17,698 in 2022, highlighting that the cases were most registered in North Kyoga, with a total of 1,538 cases, followed by Rwenzori West with 1,101 cases, Rwizi with 982 cases, and Albertine Region with 944 cases.
Last week, police spokesperson Fred Enanga said recent incidents of domestic violence have led to tragic outcomes across the country as suspects are taken into custody for the alleged murders of their partners.
The victims, including Medrine Turyakira, Sagiya Ndagire, and another only identified as Monica, fell victim to brutal acts of violence within their own homes.
According to Enanga, in the Rwizi region, Avon Twinomugisha surrendered himself to authorities at Ruborogota police station after allegedly hacking his wife, Medrine Turyakira, to death in Kabuyanda town council, Isingiro district.
Meanwhile, in the Kampala Metropolitan East region, Geoffrey Kyambadde is in custody for the alleged fatal beating of his partner, Sagiya Ndagire, at their residence in Seeta.
The couple reportedly engaged in a violent altercation after returning from a bar. Sagiya succumbed to her injuries the following day.
