A notorious syndicate of armed robbers with a trait of targeting unattended vehicles in the central business district, has literally shaken the city of Bulawayo, with cases of daylight gunpoint robberies said to be on an upward trend.
Between last Friday and Monday this week, five suspects who are believed to be part of the notorious cartel separately appeared in court, facing various charges including armed robbery and theft.
In one action movie-style episode, a city woman whose laptop, cellphone and jacket had been snatched by the robbers courageously clung onto the bonnet of a speeding getaway white Honda Fit until she got the priceless backing from members of the public.
The 39-year-old Emganwini woman, Lasta Nkala, who was stabbed on the hip and ended up in hospital owing to profuse bleeding narrated to the state-owned Chronicle how she clung onto the bonnet, with the help of wipers of the speeding getaway jallopy until the robbers were halted, about 60 meters from the crime scene.
The incident occured on May 29, at around 4PM, outside a fast food outlet in the city.
Nkala, who apparently disregarded the life-threatening dangers associated with clinging onto a speeding getaway vehicle of dangerous armed robbers, had another motorist to thank after the fleeing assailants’ getaway car was blocked.
When their Honda Fit was stopped, Nkala said, the robbers disembarked from the car and took to their heels, with members of the public restlessly chasing after them.
“The driver jumped out of the vehicle while brandishing a knife, but that did not deter members of the public from chasing after him. When he made the move towards a nearby meat wholesale outlet, a shopper who was waiting to get in to be served kicked him with a safety shoe and he fell,” Nkala told state media.
But before that incident, Nkala had also fallen prey to the criminal escapades of the serial robbers after they unlocked her car and got away with a handbag containing US$300.
Another victim, Tichaona Tarinda (39) of Luveve who says the syndicate uses different Honda Fit vehicles with counterfeit number plates and tinted windows, narrated how he lost a small bag containing US$2 800 and 3 500 South African Rands from a gang of six rogues.
The robbers, who had been monitoring Tarinda’s movements in the city, followed him to Luveve using a blue Honda Fit vehicle, blocked his Mercedes Benz and disembarked from their car armed with a pistol and a rifle, demanding money.
Despite waging a fight, Tarinda was eventually overpowered and the robbers broke into his car before speeding off with the ill-gotten spoils with a getaway Honda Fit.
Although statistical information pertaining to the rate of armed robbery cases since the beginning of the national lockdown on March 30 could not be established during the time of publishing, Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednigo Ncube said they were investigating a number of cases involving theft from motor vehicles.
Ncube (pictured) also confirmed that the notorious robbers were using a variety of unregistered Honda Fit vehicles with fake number plates and tinted windows to flee from crime scenes.
“They target mostly unattended cars parked in the central business district. These gangs usually park behind or near their targeted victims’ vehicles before they smash door glasses and steal money and valuables,” he said.
state media
Additional Reporting: Zwnews
