Nine armed robbers attacked a company in Mt Pleasant, Harare on Friday, and stole around US$32,000 in cash. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) reported that the robbers had weapons like pistols, machetes, a bolt cutter, and a grinder. In a statement seen by Pindula News, the police said if anyone has information about the incident, they should report it to the nearest police station. Read the report:
Police in Marlborough are investigating a case of robbery which occurred at a company in Mt Pleasant, Harare on 27/10/23 in which nine unidentified male suspects who were armed with pistols, machetes, bolt cutter and a grinder attacked three security guards who were on duty and tied them with shoelaces before breaking into the accounts office were they stole US$30 000 from the safe. The suspects went on to break into yet another office where they stole US$1 900 cash and went away.
This robbery comes a few days after three armed robbers allegedly teargassed their victims in Kadoma before snatching US$10 500 cash and cell phones on Tuesday. Police said the suspects pounced at a house in Mashuma at around 7.30 PM and threw tear smoke in the house to unsettle victims. As the victims gasped for breath with tears running down their cheeks, the robbers ransacked the house and got away with cash, phones and jewellery.
Armed robbery cases have been on the increase countrywide with criminals targeting families and business premises during the night. Some of the suspects involved in such cases were arrested while others are still at large. Police have also been urging the public to avoid keeping large amounts of cash in their homes and business premises as they were likely to fall prey to criminals.
More and more people are keeping their money at home instead of in banks. This is colloquially called “Mattress Banking.” Economists argue that members of the public lost trust in the traditional banking system because some lost their savings when the government changed from the US dollar to the Zimbabwe dollar in 2019. The government said the Zimbabwe dollar was equal to the US dollar, but its value dropped, causing people to lose a lot of money. Nevertheless, keeping money at home has made it easier for robbers to steal cash from individuals and businesses.
Source:Pindula
