Five armed r0bbers posing as passengers hijacked a Blue Circle bus traveling from Harare to Beitbridge, robbing passengers of their cash and valuables in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The r0bbery occurred at around 2:30 am, just after the turn-off to Neshuro in Mwenezi district, approximately 165km north of Beitbridge. The bus was reportedly carrying passengers who had boarded at Mbare bus terminus in Harare.
According to a WhatsApp message that went viral, the five suspects boarded the bus and paid their fares to Beitbridge.
One of them, pretending to be a passenger, requested to be dropped off at the Neshuro turn-off, where someone was waiting for him. When the bus stopped, the suspect signaled to his companions, and they all got out of the bus.
The conductor was instructed to go out first, but he was ordered back into the bus by one of the suspects, who brandished a pistol. The other four suspects then drew out knives and ordered the driver to leave the highway and head towards Vilivili.
All passengers and crew were instructed to surrender their cash and valuables, with thre@ts of violence if anyone refused. One of the robbers fired a shot in the air before they all disappeared into the darkness.
The director of Blue Circle Bus Company, Roy Gonyora, confirmed the robbery and expressed concern that his drivers often fail to follow instructions on where to stop. “You tell them things, but they do not heed instructions. They must not drop passengers in remote places at night,” he said.
It is unclear if the Blue Circle bus had a metal detection device on board, unlike some other buses that use such technology to screen passengers for weapons.
The police are still investigating the incident .
SOURCE : NEWSREPORTZIM.COM
