Ibanda Grade One magistrate’s court has charged a herbalist, Thomas Mujuni, for allegedly stealing a client’s mobile telephone.

Joselyne Twongyeirwe, a tailor in Bubaare cell, Bufunda Division in Ibanda Municipality, accuses the suspect of stealing the smartphone from her workshop on January 20.

Twongyeirwe told court presided over by Grade One magistrate Esther Murungi that the suspect had earlier sold her a cough herbal remedy that irritated her nose, causing a lot of sneezing. She moved to one side of the shop to sneeze and left the telephone on the table, but it was no longer there when she returned while the suspect had also disappeared.

Twongyeirwe said efforts to trace him yielded nothing but he was sighted at Saza bi-weekly market days later, arrested and taken to Police where he was charged accordingly. The smartphone was worth Shs. 420,000 and  Twongyeirwe further informed court that she had kept Shs 37,000 cash under the cover of the mobile device.

However, the suspect denied knowledge about stealing telephone and court adjourned the case until February 27 for further hearing of the prosecution witnesses.