Published by the government of Zimbabwe
10 July 2009
Harare — POLICE in Chiredzi intercepted six armed robbers early last Thursday morning after they had hijacked a Nissan Hardbody twincab and attempted to smuggle it out of the country.
The vehicle registration number ABD 3420 belonging to Triangle Limited, had been hijacked the previous day by the suspects, who were travelling in a Toyota Tazz with South African registration number plates.
Chiredzi district police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Justice Chiwara yesterday said no arrests were made and the robbers are believed to have fled into Mozambique after being thwarted in their smuggling bid.
He said last Wednesday at around 6pm, the truck driver, Raymond Mapfumo, who is employed by Triangle, phoned his girlfriend, Heather Chirume, informing her that he was on his way to their house in Triangle.Mapfumo had been driving from Mwenezi accompanied by a colleague, Nicholas Musevenzo, when the incident occurred.
On arrival of the truck, Heather came out of the house with Mapfumo's brother Emmanuel and they met Mapfumo near the gate to their house. The six robbers, who were armed with two pistols, approached the four, and threatened to shoot them if they did not comply with their orders. Mapfumo and Musevenzo were then ordered to get out of the truck cab and to get into the back.
Musevenzo managed to escape while Mapfumo, Heather and Emmanuel were bundled into the back of the truck and had their hands and legs tied with ropes. The gang then drove off, heading towards the Chilonga area before dumping their victims in a bushy area. Asst Insp Chiwara said Mapfumo, Heather and Emmanuel were later helped by a passerby and a report was made to the company's security officials and police.
Police in Chikombedzi were informed and lay in wait for the suspects along the road heading towards Mozambique. At around 1am, the robbers were spotted while towing their getaway vehicle with the stolen truck and were ordered to stop. Asst Insp Chiwara said the suspects bolted out of the car and disappeared into a bushy area. Both vehicles were recovered and police are still looking for the robbers, who are believed to have crossed into Mozambique.
Cases of carjacking with criminals targeting 4x4 trucks for smuggling into Mozambique through illegal crossing points have risen in Masvingo Province.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
