15 April 2008
Maputo — The Mozambican police shot and killed a suspect of being part of a gang of armed car robbers in Maputo on Monday.
Calisto Hilario Churame, best known as 'Calo', was shot and wounded during a police operation, but he later died in one of Maputo hospitals.
A police source told reporters that all started when a police patrol came across a vehicle, occupied by two suspect armed robbers. The suspects disobeyed a police order to stop and sped away.
In their flight, the suspects hit a parked vehicle, and one of them jumped out through one of the car windows and entered a building nearby.
Maputo city police spokesperson Arnaldo Chefo said that in the ensuing shoot out 'he (Calo) was wounded, and taken to a hospital, where he later died'. He added that the other suspect was later arrested.
The car used by the suspects had been stolen and sold to a prospect buyer, to whom the thieves were on their way to deliver.
Inside the car, the police found two number plates, different from the one on the vehicle, and the police believe that these are the originals, because they are the ones on the vehicle's booklet.
The police say that, last week alone, six vehicles were stolen by armed robbers.
During one attempted car robbery by four thieves they shot and wounded the driver, Gilberto Machava, who is now under medical care and recovering.
In yet another robbery, the thieves, armed with guns, stopped and forced a couple to withdraw money in one ATM and to show them the code, that they later used to withdraw the rest of the money. They took the couple hostage, travelling around with them until they found another victim, a young woman.
Then they freed the couple and took her hostage, putting her in her own car boot. But she managed to use her mobile phone to alert the authorities, who started a chase and arrested the thieves after a shoot out.
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