By ZimTimes Staff
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has called on the public and business community to be extra vigilant and avoid keeping large sums of cash in homes and offices as armed robberies are on the rise.
The warning comes in the wake of an eye popping US$4,4 million cash heist in Bulawayo last Thursday, which has since driven the main narrative on social media platforms all over the weekend.
No arrests have so far been made in the Bulawayo robbery, whose cash belonged to Ecobank. But even as investigations continue, police have called on members of the public and the businesses that the majority of the robberies happen with the knowledge and help of insiders.
“Criminals are getting tip-offs before they pounce on their unsuspecting targets,” police spokesperson Paul Nyathi told the Sunday Mail in a weekend interview.
The police spokesperson also urged businesses and individuals to upgrade their security systems to reduce the risk of being robbed of their cash and belongings.
Employers have also been urged to thoroughly vet their employees during hiring processes as it turns out most robberies have occur with an inside hand.
Official police statistics show that despite the high success rate of the CID in tracking down and arresting the suspects, the number of armed robberies is not going down.
A total of 695 armed robberies were recorded between January and June 2024, compared to 640 over the same period in 2021. It appears the robbers are taking advantage of the public lack of trust in the banking system, and thereby keeping cash in homes and offices.
Last week, a Marondera man (62) was shot dead during a home robbery in which US$7900 in cash was stolen. The wife was critically injured while the home was ransacked of other belongings.
Police have since arrested half a dozen suspects in relation to the incident.
In the past two weeks alone, armed robbers have gotten away with over US$4,9 million cash in cases reported across the country.
