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Chief Inspector Chibanda

Crime Reporter
Police in Harare have expressed concern over mugging cases at night occurring mostly in high-density suburbs.
Investigations have shown that there is a group of criminals which moves around targeting people in most residential suburbs and robbing them of cellphones and small amounts of cash.

Some of the criminals even use vehicles such as Toyota Raums to trail victims and snatch their handbags and cellphones.

Most of the victims are being attacked from around 7pm while walking home after disembarking from commuter omnibuses.

Harare provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Tadius Chibanda urged the public to avoid walking during the night, especially in secluded areas.

“They should also avoid carrying valuable electronic gadgets, flashing money in nightclubs and moving around with large amounts of money as these attract robbers,” he said.

Chief Insp Chibanda said most of the people who were falling victim to criminals were either trailed or waylaid.

He said they would continue conducting crime awareness campaigns and patrols.

Last week, police said cases of armed robberies had increased by at least 40 percent countrywide from January to May this year compared to the same period last year.

During the period, 316 cases of armed robbery were recorded as compared to 230 cases received during the same period in 2013.