A MEMBER of the Presidential Guard was recently shot by
detectives and fled with a bullet lodged in his rib cage after robbing a
Chitungwiza service station of cash, a firearm and other valuables.
This comes amid a surge in armed robbery cases involving State
security agents. The Presidential Guard is an elite army unit in charge of
protecting the President and his deputy.
The soldier, Arnold Matetepa (38), was arrested last week
as he sought medical treatment at a health centre in Harare and brought to
court on Saturday facing armed robbery charges. Magistrate Judith Taruvinga
remanded him on his hospital bed to August 3.
The court heard that on June 24 this year, Matetepa and his
four accomplices, three of them still at large, robbed Velvet Service Station
in Chitungwiza of valuables and US$2 500 cash after assaulting and disarming a
security guard.
The same night, the accused and his gang, which included
Tendai Mubatapasango, Lovemore Madondo, Jerry Bangu and Munyaradzi Hodzi,
allegedly drove to Mutorashanga on another robbery mission, but fell into a
police trap on the way.
The suspects allegedly fired at the detectives and sped off
after being flagged down, leading to a high speed chase.
Cornered, the suspects abandoned their getaway car, and fled
in different directions, with police firing randomly at them. Hodzi was
arrested after being shot on the leg as Matetepa fled with a bullet lodged in
his rib cage.
He was later arrested after he and the other suspects still
at large were implicated by Hodzi. The southern African country has of late
been recording a surge in robbery cases, with most of them involving serving
and former members of the security forces.
According to latest statistics provided by police, the
country is recording six robberies a day, with 876 cases recorded between
January and May this year.
Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe recently admitted in
Senate that members of the security services were involved in most of the
robberies.
“It is, indeed, true that most of these cases of armed
robberies are being done by armed men and women from the police force as well
as the army. I would like to emphasise and indicate that government is, indeed,
working on that, but I would also like to indicate that such cases have
decreased,” Kazembe said after being quizzed over the high crime rate by
senators.
Last week, another serving soldier, Chamunorwa Gingi (26),
stationed at 2 Brigade was brought to court for robbing a Chinese national of
US$60 000 cash and valuables. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment