A manhunt has been initiated by the police for David Majagada (47), a suspected armed robber believed to be involved in a gang of eight men. The gang recently carried out a raid at ZX Fuels premises in New Ardbennie, Harare. During the incident, one of the accomplices of Majagada was killed in a shootout with security guards.
The robbery resulted in the theft of US$99,000, but the police managed to recover US$35,050 from a satchel carried by the deceased robber. They also found a pistol and tools for committing criminal activities in the same bag.
Investigations have revealed that the gang members, wearing masks and woolen hats, arrived at the premises armed with pistols, iron bars, and hammers. They attacked a security guard on duty and took the gate keys from him. Subsequently, they entered the premises and used iron bars to force open safes in the offices. During this process, a reaction team from Safeguard Security Company arrived at the scene and was attacked by the robbers.
Another reaction team arrived, leading to a shootout between the guards and the robbers. One of the robbers was fatally injured and died at the scene, while the other accomplices managed to escape. Two security guards were injured during the attack and required hospitalization.
In a statement, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the national police spokesperson, announced that David Majagada had been identified as one of the suspects who fled the scene. The other six suspects are still at large, and the police are actively searching for them.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi urged anyone with information to contact the National Complaints Desk or PGHQ WhatsApp, or to report to the nearest Police Station.
According to initial investigations, on April 10 around 1 am, a security guard was conducting perimeter checks at ZX Fuels premises. While leaving the guard room, he was suddenly accosted by two armed robbers wearing woolen hats and face masks. They used shoelaces to tie the guard’s hands and his cellphone charger cable to bind his legs, forcing him to lie face down.
Subsequently, six more robbers armed with hammers, a bolt cutter, and iron bars arrived. They searched the security guard and took the keys to the gate.
The robbers then turned off the electricity at the premises, leaving one of them to guard the security guard while the others proceeded to the offices. Using iron bars, they forced open the office doors, triggering the alarm and alerting the control room.
Reportedly, the robbers targeted the cash office, where they forced open a safe and obtained safe keys to open a Chubb safe and steal cash. They also attempted to open another Chubb safe in a different office but were unsuccessful. They then tried to move the safe outside.
At this point, a Safeguard Security reaction team arrived, and one of the team members was captured by the robbers, while the other managed to escape. One of the robbers drove away in the NP 200 Nissan vehicle registered to the Safeguard Security Company and parked it within the premises.
The escaped security guard informed his superiors, prompting the deployment of a second reaction team armed with pistols. A shootout ensued between the guards and the robbers.
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