Publications
- A man lost his money and car to thieves who went on to murder a 10-month-old baby.
- A South African tracking firm led the police to the alleged killers after the robbery.
- Two suspects were arrested in Zimbabwe with the Toyota Fortuner that was reported stolen in KwaZulu-Natal.
A South African-registered car with a tracker helped police in Zimbabwe hunt down an armed seven-member gang.
The KwaZulu-Natal-registered Toyota Fortuner with personalised registration plates was stolen from its owner who was on holiday in Murewa, a rural district 75km north-east of the capital, Harare.
The robbers made off with the car after robbing the owner of US$500 (R8 000) and R15 000. But little did he know his car would be used as a getaway vehicle by armed robbers in the same district.
A police statement, seen by News24, reported seven armed men pounced on a family in Macheke, 50km from where the car was stolen.
They raided the house but a scuffle ensued, leading to one of the men shooting dead a 10-month-old baby and wounding its mother in the left lower breast.
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They were shot after the baby's father, who was armed, shot twice at the robbers but missed.
Because the getaway car was reported stolen, a South African tracking company provided the police with its co-ordinates that led them to the robbers. A shootout ensued after the police tracked down the vehicle.
Six of the seven suspects were arrested.
"The ZRP (Zimbabwe Republic Police) confirms the arrest of Blessing Banda, 25, and Tinashe Mungadza, 38, for theft of a motor vehicle case, leading to the recovery of a Toyota Fortuner vehicle [registered in South Africa] which was stolen...
"The suspects were intercepted at a traffic checkpoint at the 333km peg of the Harare-Chirundu Road on 28 December after they had affixed a Zimbabwean registration plate and licence belonging to a Ford Ranger vehicle," the police said.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
