Armed Robber Shot Dead, Stolen Cash Recovered

An armed robber in an eight-man gang who raided ZX Fuels premises in Southerton, Harare early on Tuesday morning was shot dead by security guards and US$35,050 was recovered from a satchel he was carrying.

Circumstances were that the gang, who were wearing masks and woollen hats, went to the premises while armed with pistols, iron bars and hammers. They attacked a security guard on duty and took the gate keys from the security guard and entered the premises.

The robbers used iron bars to force open safes and stole an undisclosed amount of money. During the process, a reaction team from Safeguard Security Company arrived at the scene and was attacked by the robbers.

A second reaction team went to the scene, resulting in a shootout between the guards and the robbers. During the shootout, one of the robbers was then shot and died on the spot, while his other accomplices fled the scene.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said that a manhunt had since been launched for the other robbers. He said:

From one of the suspects who was shot dead, police recovered US$35,050 cash, a pistol and implements used to commit crimes from a black satchel that he was carrying. Investigations are still in progress.

Armed robberies are on the increase in Zimbabwe as a lot of people now prefer storing value in US dollars often stocked away from formal banking institutions for fear of losing them.

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, Zimbabwe recorded 1,120 armed robberies in 2021, compared with 931 in the previous year.

In 2022, in a bid to reduce robberies and rampant gun crime in Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa extended a gun amnesty that allowed Zimbabweans