State attorney Ivan Kyazze informed the court that the case had come up for formal reading of charges following the September 23, 2008, violent kidnapping of Vekariya Dhanji, an Indian national in Kololo, an upscale suburb of Kampala.

Moro is jointly charged with Pte Ambrose Ochieng and Lt Jacob Odong Okeny, who are both still at large.

The magistrate told Moro not to take a plea because the charges against him “are capital in nature and can only be tried by the High Court.”

According to the state prosecutor, on the fateful day, the trio, armed with a US Army pistol loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, allegedly robbed Vekariya Dhanji of Shs400,000 and later kidnapped him from his workplace at Plot 25A, Elizabeth Avenue in Kololo. The suspects are accused of demanding a ransom of Shs30 million to secure his release.

Court documents indicate that Dhanji, who worked as a foreman at India Construction Company in Kibuli was lured into the trap by a young woman he had given a lift days earlier. He knew her only as “Claire.”

“She used to call or beep me and ask where I was. I had picked her once from Gayaza and dropped her near the German Embassy in Kololo,” Dhanji stated in his complaint.

On the day of the incident, Claire allegedly showed up at his construction site around 5:30pm. Moments later, three men stormed the premises and claimed Dhanji had been found with the daughter of a high-ranking government official, Lt. Gen. Salim Saleh.

“They grabbed me and put me in a vehicle along with the girl. On the way, one of them pointed a pistol at me and took all I had, including Shs400,000, my driving permit, mosque Identification card, and watch,” Dhanji narrated.

The group allegedly drove him to Kitintale and later to Mbuya Military Barracks, where they forced him to call his employer, one Suresh, and demanded Shs7 million for his release. The kidnappers also took his ATM card and attempted to withdraw money from his account at Bank of Baroda.

According to Dhanji, after the ATM card was retained by the bank machine, the suspects tried to drive him and the girl to Jinja Road Police Station but the vehicle failed to start. Another vehicle arrived but before they could proceed, security operatives from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) intercepted the suspects following a tip-off from Suresh.

CMI operatives had been alerted after Suresh was contacted to deliver the ransom. The suspects were eventually tracked down, arrested, and arraigned in court on October 8, 2008.

However, Moro reportedly escaped custody shortly after the court appearance and vanished until his re-arrest and arraignment this week.

Chief Magistrate Kayizzi remanded Moro to Luzira Prison until August 15, 2025, when he is expected to appear for mention of the case pending committal to the High Court for trial.

The state attorney said investigations are complete and the case file was ready to have the suspect committed to high court for trial.