Ecobank Heist Suspects Named | Interpol Roped In
The robbers are believed to be Zimbabwean nationals who are currently based in South Africa.
Ecobank Heist Suspects Named | Interpol Roped In
Local police ZRP have enlisted the help of Interpol to track down the six robbers behind the biggest bank heist in Zimbabwe’s history.
Last Thursday, six armed men made off with US$4.4 million from an Ecobank branch in Bulawayo. The robbers are believed to be Zimbabwean nationals who are currently based in South Africa.
In response, the ZRP has deployed special investigation teams to Bulawayo and nearby cities to hunt down the culprits.
The group is suspected of being behind a series of high-profile robberies across Zimbabwe, including the October 2022 raid on a cash-in-transit vehicle transporting nearly 12kg of gold worth US$675,000 from How Mine to Fidelity Printers and Refiners.
Additionally, they are believed to have targeted financial institutions, money transfer agencies, and wholesalers in a spree of robberies between May and October last year.
Ecobank Heist Suspects Named | Interpol Roped In
In Bulawayo alone, the gang reportedly stole over US$858,000 and R508,000 across five separate raids in just four months.
The suspects have been identified as
- Elijah Vumbunu, also known as Mupositori,
- David Sawadye,
- Israel Zulu,
- Kudakwashe Mudzingwa, alias Umbro,
- Takafa Vumbunu, alias Naison Mahembe,
- Paul Chinake, and
- Brian Murape.
Elijah Vumbunu is said to be running a trucking business and living in luxury in South Africa.
$4 Million Ecobank Heist: Safeguard Claim Innocence
Previous investigations revealed that after committing these robberies, the gang would retreat to South Africa, lying low for a period before returning to Zimbabwe to stage their next heist.
