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in a shoot-out with police.

Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said the two had committed 11 counts of armed robbery.
“On June 16, 2013 they robbed a Roman Catholic priest and got away with three laptops, a Nokia X2 cell phone, and US$18 700.

“The case was reported at Mabelreign Police Station,” she said.
On June 17, Senior Asst Comm Charamba said the two, with their accomplices, robbed a man of his vehicle and cash after disarming and robbing security guards who were guarding the premises.

They also robbed them of a pepper spray can, stun gun and electric shock, and the security guard’s bullet-proof jacket.
On June 19 at 8.30pm, the accused, after gaining entry into a Mt Pleasant house through an unlocked kitchen door, used pistols to rob the occupants of US$2 000, Samsung Galaxy cell phones, I-phone 4s and Nokia C7.

They stole jewellery and US$200 from a safe and drove away in the complainant’s Toyota Hilux Twin cab. Senior Asst Comm Charamba advised the public to take precautionary measures by ensuring that they do not leave any of their doors unlocked in the evenings or even during the day.

“Large sums of money should not be kept in the house safes but deposited with the banks. While driving, individuals should be alert and ensure that they are not being followed. If they suspect that they are being followed they should drive to the nearest police station,” she said.

Meanwhile, TelOne managing director Mrs Chipo Mutasa and her husband lost a Toyota Landcruiser and other valuables to two armed robbers who raided their Avondale house last Monday night.

Mrs Mutasa (48) and Mr Oliver Mutasa (48) were on their way from Avondale Shopping Centre at around 9pm when the incident occurred.
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.

It is alleged that the couple arrived at their home and a security guard manning the premises opened the gate for them.
They later came across the two armed robbers, one armed with a pistol who forced them to get out of the car at gunpoint.

One of the robbers forcibly grabbed the car keys while the other one demanded money but they did not have the cash.
They took bank cards from Mr and Mrs Mutasa before dragging them inside the house. The robbers then drove off in the vehicle and a report was made to the police.

When police arrived at the scene, it is reported that one of the robbers was still inside the yard and this resulted in a shoot-out with the police.
The armed robber managed to escape after scaling over the security wall.

No arrests have since been made and police are still hunting for the suspects. It was not clear last night whether the shot robbers were linked to the robbery at the Mutasa residency.

Chief Supt Nyathi said the vehicle was found the following day dumped in Mount Pleasant.

Cases of armed robbery have been increasing countrywide with police saying they would crack down on most of the criminals on their wanted list. In May, at least seven people lost thousands of dollars at gunpoint to armed robbers in Harare in separate incidents in one day.

At least 2 000 criminal suspects are roaming the streets free as their appeals could not be dealt with timeously at the courts due to shortage of transcribers and poor recording equipment.

The protracted delays had resulted in the suspects, among them car-jackers, rapists, armed robbers and fraudsters, continuing with their criminal activities while others had since breached their bail conditions and disappeared.

Judicial Service Commission deputy secretary Mr Rex Shana recently said the High Court was sitting on 2 000 appeal cases while the Supreme Court had 122 cases.
Police have confirmed that hardcore criminals released from Harare jails were believed to be committing armed robberies and car-jackings.