HARARE – A man has been arrested over a cash-in-transit robbery in which US$20,000 cash was stolen on October 16 from a Fawcett Security van travelling from Beitbridge to Mutare.
Kelvin Chisandako, 23, was arrested in Mwenezi on November 3 after police received a tip-off that he had been seen with large sums of cash and had recently splurged on building materials, a US$9,800 car and even suits.
Fawcett security guards were transporting cash from Beitbridge to Mutare when they gave a lift to two strangers in the Lutumba and Machiloni respectively.
The two passengers, who were seated in the panel van’s cargo hold, got off at Rutenga and Ngundu, according to police.
It was at Ngundu that the guards realised that a locked cash box with US$20,000 had gone missing and they called the police.
Now police have had a lucky break with Chidandako’s arrest.
Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the police national spokesman, said in a statement: “The suspect revealed to the police that he stole the money from the cash-in-transit van which he boarded at Lutumba Business Centre. The arrest led to the recovery of US$600 as well as R3,320 cash, an empty cash box and a Toyota Aqua vehicle which he bought for US$9,800.
“Investigations by the police established that the suspect used part of the money to buy 30 x 12-feet roofing sheets, 35 x 50kg bags of cement, seven window frames, two French doors, 15,000 bricks, a mobile phone and three men’s suits.”
Nyathi paid tribute to the public for “forwarding information which led to the arrest of the suspect.”
