A MESSENGER at a Bulawayo company lost US$30 000 to thieves
who broke into his car within 10 minutes of parking at a retail shop to buy
food.
The messenger was on his way to deposit the money at a
local bank. Police did not disclose the name of the company which he worked for
but the incident occurred on Tuesday after 8AM.
Thefts from cars are rampant in the city and cops have
warned members of the public against leaving valuables in vehicles.
The theft occurred four days after a mine boss had lost
nearly US$50 000 to thieves who broke into his car in Belmont industrial area,
moments after he had sold gold to a local trader.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said
the messenger had stopped at a centre parking along 12th Avenue and Fife
Street.
He had placed the money in an envelope and stashed it into
the car’s dashboard before locking the vehicle.
“The complainant returned to his car after about 10 minutes
and discovered that an unknown person had used an unknown object to open the
driver’s door stealing US$30 000 which was stashed in the dashboard. He made a
report at Bulawayo Central Police Station and officers attended the scene,” he
said.
Insp Ncube appealed to anyone who might have information
that would lead to the arrest of culprits to come forward.
He said police were concerned that the public were not
heeding calls not to leave valuables in cars.
“It is quite disturbing that members of the public continue
to disregard the messages that we are sharing with them. We are always
appealing to everyone to secure property especially when one intends to leave
their vehicle. Residents should rather carry their money as opposed to leaving
it in cars and risk losing it. We also implore the public to consider leaving
their valuable property in the care of another person as the behaviour of
leaving cash, laptops and handbags encourages criminality. We should not create
a conducive environment for criminal activities lest we are also guilty of
promoting theft from cars,” he said.
Last week, police arrested Sifiso Mapfumo (42) who is said
to be part of a notorious gang targeting valuables left in cars while his three
accomplices managed to escape.
Thieves who steal from cars use sophisticated gadgets to
break into the vehicles without being noticed and can wipe off their
fingerprints making it hard to link them to criminal activities. Chronicle
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