Mole’s hand in US$114k, R1,2m heist exposed
PRELIMINARY investigations into an armed robbery in which US$114 411 and R1 281 320 was seized from Fawcett Security Company premises in Chipinge reveal that the five suspects who executed the heist were fed information by a mole in the company, police confirmed yesterday.
The robbery occurred around 3am on Wednesday.
National police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, said intelligence gleaned from the ground indicates that the robbery suspects were working in cahoots with an insider who supplied them with intricate details of Fawcett operations.
He said police would leave no stone unturned in their quest to bring all the culprits involved to book.
Details of the robbery show that at around 3am, two Fawcett Security Company officers, George Nhamo Sithole (59) and driver Dzime Sithole (46), were on routine supervisory patrols using a blue Fawcett Isuzu vehicle, which was parked at the Farm and City shop in Chipinge town.
Suddenly, two masked men armed with pistols emerged from behind the van, and ordered the two to get out. The suspects allegedly removed the two guards’ jackets and hats, and made the driver surrender the car keys.
The two guards complied with the instructions, and the two suspects changed into their uniforms before tying the hands of their victims behind their backs, shoving them into the vehicle’s cash compartment at the back, and locking it.
The other three gang members then arrived and joined their two colleagues, before driving off to Fawcett Security Company premises in Gaza Township.
Along the way, the gang stopped to load unknown items into the vehicle, and proceeded to Fawcett offices, where upon arrival at the main gate, they ordered the security officer who was on duty, Mr Mauka Chigonese (49), to unlock the gate.
After opening the gate, Mr Chigonese was manhandled, and had his hands tied at the back by the gang using electric cables.
The suspects disarmed another security guard who was on roving duties, Mr Taurai Tarangwa (48). They removed and used his shoelaces to tie his hands, before forcing him to summon Mr Gordon Gurudza (49), who was monitoring the alarm system, to open the office door.
Upon opening the door, Mr Gurudza was ordered to lie face down with his hands tied from the back using an electric cable.
The gang allegedly damaged the alarm control board, exterior light, BVR computer camera saver and two kits to avert detection, and destroy evidence.
The robbers then vandalised the vault using a grinder, and stole cash stashed in six cash boxes. They stashed the money in a sack which had once held
cow feed.
They drove off to Moiplats Estate with the security guards at the back of the vehicle, and abandoned the truck against the trunk of a tree to prevent the staff from getting out.
Driver Mr Sithole managed to contact Fawcett brand manager Mr Peter Kabaira and he called ZRP Chipinge Urban who rushed to the scene. The police recovered an empty revolver abandoned at the front of the offices, a short gun revolver loaded with five rounds abandoned at the periphery of the premises’ fence, two used grinding discs left at the offices and another empty revolver left on the bonnet of the Isuzu truck.
They also recovered a pair of pliers, two screw drivers, shifting spanner, one bullet proof jacket, two Fawcett jackets, and one empty bottle of pepper spray.
No arrests have been made so far, and nothing was recovered. None of the five Fawcett staff were harmed or robbed of their personal belongings.