The police have dismissed claims circulating on social media that the suspects involved in the armed robbery of a Safeguard Cash-in-Transit team at an Ecobank branch in Bulawayo on Thursday have been apprehended.
Social media reports had suggested that the suspects were shot and killed along Plumtree Road just hours after the robbery. However, in a statement issued on Friday at 4:25 PM, the police confirmed that no arrests have been made yet. The statement read:
“The ZRP is still investigating the armed robbery that occurred in Bulawayo on 03/10/24 at a local financial institution. We refute social media reports claiming the suspects have been apprehended. The public and media will be updated as developments arise.”
On Thursday, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed that six suspects were involved in the heist, in which approximately US$4 million was stolen.
He also suggested that an inside leak or collaboration might have facilitated the robbery.
In contrast, acting ZRP Bulawayo Province spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, stated that seven suspects were involved in the robbery, providing brief descriptions of the individuals.
She mentioned that six of the suspects were wearing balaclava masks, while one was unmasked, and that one of them was light-skinned and about 1.65 meters tall.
The cash, which was being transported from Ecobank’s branch located at the ground floor of the NRZ Building, was stolen after the armed robbers waited for Safeguard security guards to load the money into their truck. The robbers approached the vehicle, disarmed the guards, and took the cash boxes before fleeing the scene.
