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Crime Reporter

A REGISTERED gold buyer from Bulawayo lost US$350 000 in cash to two armed robbers who told him they were selling 50g of gold before pulling out a firearm and ransacking his house.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the robbery took place at around 12.35pm on Tuesday at a house along Heyman Road in Suburbs.

He said the two robbery suspects gained entry by saying they were selling gold before pulling out their “small firearm”. After stealing the cash, they snatched a CCTV HDI server and a main gate remote control as well.

Anyone with information is requested to contact the police.

In another incident, police have arrested a robber who is responsible for two deaths.

 Gift Sabata (44) was arrested on Sunday in connection with murder and armed robberies which occurred between December last year and November this year in Bulawayo.

 At around 2am, detectives from CID Homicide, Bulawayo backed by a Support Unit SWAT team raided his girlfriend’s house in Cowdray Park where he was hiding. 

Sabata was rushed to United Bulawayo Hospitals and after taking food and diabetes medication brought by his wife, Mavis Matupe (27), he started convulsing and frothing at the mouth. 

He died at about 10am on Monday. 

When Sabata was arrested, a Rossi revolver loaded with five rounds was recovered. Further investigations by the police led to the recovery of a Taurus revolver with six rounds and a Peatra-Beretta Gardone Vt.22 firearm without a magazine at Tshabalala Game Sanctuary in Fourwinds, Bulawayo. 

The suspect was linked to two cases of murder and 13 cases of armed robbery in which the total value stolen was US$58 639.

“The arrest cleared a murder case which occurred on 28 June 2022 at a house along Fortunes Gate, Matsheumhlophe, Bulawayo where the suspect and his accomplice identified as Clifford Leniency Nyoni shot dead the complainant with a pistol before stealing US$1 000 cash. 

“The suspect was also linked to a murder which occurred on 2 February 2022 at Plot K1 Richmond, Bulawayo where a 24-year-old man died on admission at a local hospital after being shot on the thigh with a pistol following a misunderstanding over an undisclosed issue,” Asst Comm Nyathi said. 

The suspect was also linked to a robbery where US$21 555 was stolen on 28 May 2022 at Petra College, Selborne Park, Bulawayo and another armed robbery in which US$8 000 and R120 000 was stolen at Plot 5, Rangemore, Bulawayo. 

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Republic Police is appealing for information which may lead to the arrest of two unknown men being sought in connection with cases of murder, rape and armed robbery in which motorists were targeted along Harare-Chirundu Road on Sunday and Monday this week. 

In one of the cases, the pair shot dead a man aged 33 before raping his girlfriend aged 26 and stealing a cellphone, power bank and US$48 cash on Sunday along Highlands Road, Chinhoyi.

The next day the two attacked a taxi driver and stole US$20 and two cellphones near Champion Gwande Secondary School, Karoi. 

The suspects raided a house in Chinhoyi on Monday and stole a laptop, five cellphones and US$320 cash before shooting one of the complainants thrice on the knee.

The two had attacked two motorists on two separate occasions on Sunday and Monday along Harare-Chirundu Road where they stole $3 000 and US$52 cash. 

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspects should contact the National Complaints Desk on (0242) 703631, WhatsApp number 0712 800 107 or any nearest police station.