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Snr Asst Comm Charamba

Crime Reporter

Police have expressed concern with the increase in armed robbery cases countrywide mostly involving people believed to be unrepentant ex-prisoners who benefited from the Presidential amnesty. Some of the criminals have been arrested while others are still on the run, raiding homes, company premises and service stations during the night.Police on Wednesday said they were investigating three cases of armed robbery which occurred between Saturday and Monday in Mudzi, Macheke and Nyabira.

Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said on Sunday at around 1am, four robbers armed with a pistol raided a shop in Mudzi as the owner was sleeping with his wife.

They tied their legs and covered their faces with a cloth before ransacking the shop. They stole $7 290 in cash and goods which they loaded in the complainant’s lorry. The vehicle was later found dumped about 6km from the scene.

“Police attended the scene and recovered Samsung and Nokia 1800 cellphones in the truck. The total value of stolen goods is $14 340 of which $7 050 was recovered,” Snr Asst Comm Charamba said.

In another incident, six armed robbers raided Macheke Council offices on Monday at around 2am and disarmed two security guards who were on duty.

They broke into an office where they stole a safe containing $480, which they loaded into a Mazda B1800 parked at the premises.

“Police later recovered a 12-bore shotgun hidden under a Mazda 323 at the scene. The stolen Mazda B1800 and three picks were recovered dumped at Macheke Government School about a kilometre away from the scene,” Snr Asst Comm Charamba said.

She said another seven armed robbers confronted two security guards at a premise in Nyabira on Sunday night and broke into a storeroom where they took 20x50kg bags of yellow maize, 5x50kg pig concentrate, 6x25kg litres of diesel and one green work suit, all valued at $628.

They loaded the goods into a getaway vehicle and disappeared.

Meanwhile, police have arrested a 23-year-old man on allegations of stealing a white Toyota Hiace which was parked at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals on Sunday afternoon.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said the complainant left his vehicle in the parking bay and went inside the hospital. When he returned, he saw the suspect reversing his vehicle.

He managed to apprehend him with the assistance of the public.

It was discovered that the suspect had used duplicate keys to open and start the engine of the vehicle.