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Crime Reporter 

FOUR armed robbers on Tuesday held hostage for hours, a Mt Darwin family before stealing over US$4 000 cash, a Nissan Caravan and valuables worth US$3 685.

The four were armed with a pistol and iron bars when they attacked the house in Tsakare, demanded cash and the vehicle keys, and then loaded the electric appliances worth US$3 685 they stole into the car before driving off.

Police later recovered the vehicle dumped along Tsakare-Madziwa Road and are now hunting for the gang.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident. 

The incident comes after machete gangs raided three people and business premises in separate incidents in Harare, Bulawayo and Muzarabani and got away with over US$35 000 cash, a car and 53 bales of cotton last week.

Police in Bulawayo are investigating an armed robbery case on September 7 at the 15 km peg along Harare-Bulawayo Road. 

Four suspects who were armed with machetes and an unidentified pistol robbed a couple of US$32 078 cash.

The couple was travelling to Harare after being sent by a Harare-based company to collect the money from a sister company in Belmont, Bulawayo.

Investigations revealed that the woman aged 32 who is employed by Phuza Beverages which is based in Ruwa, was sent to Bulawayo to collect the money from  one of their branches.

The woman then went with her husband and met one of the company officials in the city where she was handed over four envelopes containing the cash.

They were travelling in a Honda Fit and on their way back to Harare it is alleged that they were side swiped with another black Honda Fit, forcing them to swerve off the road.

Four armed robbers then jumped out of the car before assaulting the couple and stealing the money. The robbers drove back to Bulawayo. 

In a related case, police in Harare were investigating a robbery in which six suspects robbed a Kuwadzana woman of US$3 000 cash, a Honda CRV, a Samsung flat screen television, three cellphones, blankets and groceries on Wednesday at around 7am.

The woman was cleaning her vehicle when the robbers raided the house before they handcuffed her and force marched her into the house. They assaulted her while demanding cash. She surrendered the cash but the suspects went on to ransack the house.

In Muzarabani, 10 armed robbers raided ZCC Cotton Buying Company at Chimoio business centre on Wednesday and stole 53 bales of cotton. The 10 first attacked a security guard who was manning the premises where there was about 63 bales of cotton.

Asst Comm Nyathi said they tied the guard’s hands before stashing a cloth into his mouth at around 2am. 

A few minutes later, a truck arrived at the premises and the robbers loaded the bales before disappearing.