A 23-year-old female ZUPCO bus conductor was gang-raped and robbed of her belongings on her way to work on Tuesday morning in Bulawayo.
Bulawayo Police spokesperson Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident saying the armed suspects are still on the run and police are appealing for any information that could lead to their arrest. Ncube said:
We are investigating a case of rape and robbery where a lady, who works at Zupco, was attacked around 2:30 am on Tuesday.
When she had travelled about a kilometre from her home, she met four unknown male adults armed with knives and they demanded cash from her.
Ncube also said that the gang robbed the victim of her R200 before they force-marched her back to the house. Ncube added:
Upon arrival, her male co-tenant was attacked and she was then raped before those people disappeared into the darkness.
The police further noted that the daring robbers then went on to attack and rob the male tenant of US$100 during the incident.
Ncube appealed to members of the public to help with any information that can be used to identify the perpetrators. Ncube said:
What we understand and what everyone knows is that those people are from within our communities and in the wee hours of the day it means they will be coming from patronising shebeens or committing criminal activities. Work with the police and report these criminals. They might not be coming from Emthunzini but they are from Bulawayo and some people are aware that their neighbours are into crime. If you suspect anything please report to the police.
There has been a spike in the number of armed robberies nationwide with some robbers targeting institutions such as fuel stations and schools.
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