BULAWAYO – A gang of armed robbers on Thursday seized seven boxes full of an undisclosed amount of cash after robbing a cash-in-transit vehicle outside a Choppies Supermarket in Parklands, Bulawayo.
The daring raid just before midday is the latest in a string of armed robberies in the city that have police worried.
Police said the robbers arrived at about 10AM in four Honda Fit vehicles and fired three shots to overpower security guards from Romicon Security, who were using a kombi minibus to transport cash.
National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “The contracted security company collected about six trunks of cash from Choppies shops in the CBD branches and then went to Parklands where they were collecting a seventh truck from that branch.
“That’s when these four Honda Fit vehicles drove in and some shots were fired. The robbers then made off with the seven trunks.”
A manager of the Choppies shop said the robbery “happened very fast.” On reviewing CCTV, he said, they realised that one of the robbers had been inside the supermarket for some minutes before the four vehicles drove in.
“When we heard the shots, everyone ran to hide,” he said.
Nyathi said there were worrying details about the robbery, including questions over why the guards did not bank the money collected from the CBD before proceeding to suburban Parklands.
“It appears there’s leaking of information, and the movement of these security guards had been compromised. In the CBD they were collecting money from branches that are near banks, where they could have deposited the money, but they didn’t,” Nyathi said.
“This is really a cause for concern. Cash-in-transit involves security companies and their clients. It’s incumbent upon these security companies to put watertight measures and vet their employees while ensuring that the movement of cash is not published to every employee. Cash movements must not be routine, and security companies must continue to review their security measures.”
Last Saturday, a female employee of a liquor store at Ascot Shopping Centre died after being shot twice in the head during a robbery.
Robbers have also targeted a bureau de change in the city and several petrol stations as police struggle to break the cases and make arrests.
