A SEEMINGLY evasive gang of
10 notorious armed robbers, that pounced on several businesses in Mutare and
stole thousands of dollars after blowing up safes, resurfaced on Tuesday
morning and hit a Sakunda Service Station in the city using the same modus
operandi.
A security guard and two
attendants at the garage were assaulted and later had their hands tied by the
cheeky criminals who went on to blow up a safe using dynamites.
They got away with cash
amounting to $4 400, fuel coupons valued at more than $100 and an assortment of
electrical gadgets that included laptops.
To cover their tracks, the
criminals destroyed a CCTV system and took the main server. The incident
happened at around 3am at the filling station situated at Corner C Avenue and
Fourth Street.
A robbery docket has since
been opened at Mutare Central Police Station under RRB 3461741. Manicaland
police spokesman Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa confirmed the robbery.
Circumstances were that the
three complainants, Mary Marume (33) who is a fuel attendant, Happymore Chivorese
(27) a security guard and Clariata Gedhe who is employed as a shop attendant
were approached by two of the criminals who were armed with pistols.
The robbers searched the
security guard to establish whether he had a firearm. They also took cell
phones belonging to the three complainants and an eco agent cell phone for the
service station registered in the name of Hlupekire Kandiero.
The two suspects then called
their accomplices who were numbering up to six to join them. They were armed
with picks and iron bars. One of the robbers forced marched Marume and
Chivorese to the main office leaving Gedhe in the supermarket.
While in the main office they
tied the two complainants using computer cables that had been disconnected from
a computer. The other robber who remained in the shop with Gedhe demanded cash
and she gave him $160.
After handing over the money
she was also force-marched to join her workmates in the main office where she
also had her hands tied.
The robbers then used picks
to break five doors which led to different offices. In one of the offices the
criminals destroyed a CCTV hard drive and went away with it.
They proceeded to the
manager’s office and blew up a Geni money safe using dynamites. They took US$4
415 which was in the safe. The robbers also took two Lenovo
laptops, fuel coupons valued at US$145, a CCTV hard drive server, a
Nokia cell phone and a few grocery items from the shop and
disappeared.
Moments later Gedhe managed
to untie herself and she went on to untie her colleagues. A report was then
made at Mutare Central Police Station.
Detectives quickly attended
the scene and recovered a piece of the dynamite that was used to break open the
safe.
They also found three cell
phones belonging to the three workers that were later dumped by the robbers as
they fled.
When The Manica Post visited
the scene of the crime, one of the victims was at pains to explain to
detectives the horror she experienced at the hands of the robbers.
She said as soon as the
robbers got into the shop one of them snatched her jacket and also took a cap
from the security guard and went outside at the forecourt.
“While outside, the robber
who was now clad in our uniform, told off clients who wanted to buy fuel saying
we had run empty. He did this to cover up the robbery, which was in progress
inside the shop.
“They assaulted us and even
made us to sing some songs. As they were about to go after collecting their
loot, they ordered us to sing Jah Prayzah’s song “Kutonga Kwaro,” she said.
From analysing the way they
are executing the robberies, detectives revealed that the same gang is
responsible for the robberies that happened at a bus company in the city, a
shop heist in Odzi and another service station robbery in Dangamvura. Manica Post
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