Police have refuted social media claims that the suspects involved in the robbery of a Safeguard Cash-in-Transit team at an Ecobank branch in Bulawayo on Thursday have been apprehended.
This follows social media reports that the suspects were shot and killed along Plumtree Road hours after the robbery.
In a statement released at 4:25 PM on Friday, Police said the suspects have not yet been arrested, adding that the public and media will be updated on the latest developments regarding the case. Reads the statement:
The ZRP is still conducting investigations in connection with the armed robbery incident which occurred in Bulawayo on 03/10/24 at a local financial institution.
The Police dismisses social media messages indicating that the suspects have been arrested.
The Police will certainly keep the public and media informed on the latest developments in relation to this case.
On Thursday, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said that six suspects were involved in the heist, during which approximately US$4 million was stolen.
He also said the robbery might have involved an inside job or a leak of information.
However, Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, the acting spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Bulawayo Province, was quoted as saying the suspects were seven in number.
She also provided brief descriptions of the Ecobank robbery suspects. Said Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele:
The accused persons are seven unknown male adults, six of whom were wearing balaclava masks and one was not wearing any mask. One of the accused persons is approximately 1, 65m in height, light in complexion.
The stolen cash was allegedly being transported from the Ecobank branch, located on the ground floor of the NRZ Building, Bulawayo’s tallest structure.
Witnesses described how the robbers waited for the Safeguard security guards to load the money into their truck before appearing on the driver and passenger side windows with guns drawn.
The security guards were then disarmed and forced into the back of their truck, as the robbers seized cash boxes loaded with cash.
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