"Armed Robber Bought Chewing Gum Moments Before US$4 Million Heist "

In a surprising twist, one of the armed robbers involved in the daring heist on a Safeguard Security cash-in-transit vehicle in Bulawayo on Thursday afternoon briefly removed his mask to purchase chewing gum from a street vendor just moments before the attack.

According to the female vendor, who spoke to ZTN Prime, the suspect remained silent, only uttering a few words to request and pay for the chewing gum. She said:

He walked up to me to purchase chewing gum, and shortly after, I saw him unloading trunks from the Safeguard Security vehicle. When I witnessed them brandishing guns, I quickly gathered my belongings and fled the scene. Although he didn’t utter a word beyond requesting the chewing gum, I’m confident I’d be able to identify him if I saw him again.

The six armed robbers made off with a reported US$4 million in cash from a Safeguard CIT van at the Ecobank Parkade Centre branch.

The van had just loaded metal boxes filled with cash when the robbers, armed with AK47s, quickly surrounded the truck and overpowered the guards at approximately 3:30 PM.

Witnesses captured videos and photos as the masked robbers, donning bucket hats, calmly loaded the cash-filled boxes into the open cargo bay of a white Ford Ranger single-cab vehicle.

After securing their loot, they sped off on Fife Street towards 10th Avenue.

According to Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, initial estimates put the stolen amount at US$4 million in cash. He added:

How this robbery occurred shows an element of an inside job or leakage of information.

As investigations intensify, police assure the public that the law will take its course without fear or favour.

Police sources revealed to ZimLive that the Central Investigations Department’s crack teams, typically deployed to tackle major crimes, had been grounded due to a lack of fuel in their vehicles – a situation that had persisted for over a week.

As the investigation continued, police were still questioning staff from the bank and Safeguard late into the night on Thursday.

More: Pindula News