Uganda: 2 TikTokers Arrested After Claiming They Could Unlock Stolen IPhones, Laptops

• The two TikTokers recorded a video claiming they were thieves and showed how they easily commit theft
• They bragged about how easy it was for them to crack open locks of stolen iPhones and Android phones before selling them to unsuspecting buyers
• One of them is a 19-year-old student at the Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Savior Guma

Clout chasing landed two young men in trouble on Tuesday, May 14, after they recorded a video claiming to be behind cracking codes of stolen smartphones and laptops.

The two TikTokers recorded a video bragging about how easy it was to crack open locks of stolen iPhones and Android phones before selling them to unsuspecting buyers.

The video went viral and sparked outrage from netizens, especially those who have lost their smartphones to snatchers in traffic jams.

According to Monitor publication, the outrage prompted police officers to launch a manhunt for the two suspects and by Tuesday, May 14, both had been arrested and detained at Central Police Station, Kampala.

What did TikTokers tell police?

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango reportedly said the duo had admitted to producing the video but alleged they intended to attract viewership on their social media platforms.

"Police can't take lightly what they said in the video. We have seized smartphones and other electronic gadgets which we found in their possession for further forensic analysis. Investigations are ongoing," Onyango said.

TikTokers blasted for police station prank

In a separate article, police addressed a viral clip showing a man being robbed in front of a police station in Kilifi.

The man, seemingly drunk, was captured walking as a loner before two other men onboard a motorcycle appeared.

They slowed down before one of them alighted and carried out a sweep kick on the 'drunk' man, who got to the ground without any resistance.

The two men on the motorcycle robbed him before they later sped off, leaving their 'victim' on the ground, with onlookers expressing shock given the display was near the aforesaid police station.

The video was uploaded to the short-video streaming platform TikTok and spread to other platforms.

Reacting to the accusations sent their way, police flagged the clip's contents as prank gimmicks.

Proofreading by Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke