A Victoria Falls Robbery which involved a member of the Criminal lnvestigation Department (CID) and five other hitmen was foiled recently as the victim alerted the neighbourhood response team before the accused persons managed to break into the house, a Police internal memo reveals.
The complainant, Casey Beam of Courtney Selous Victoria falls on the 14th of December 2023 at around 2110 hours was watching television sitting inside his dining room.
Beam was alerted by his daughter that there were four intruders who had jumped into their yard.
The complainant went on to check and saw one of the accused trying to force open the main door.
Beam alerted the neighbourhood watch response team and the police who reacted swiftly.
Upon realising that the complainant had alerted assistance the four accused who were in the yard scaled the durawall in different directions.
The memo revealed that, two arrested accused and the other four who are still at large connived to come to Victoria Falls from Bulawayo, target their victims and commit robberies.
Felias Mvula one of the arrested accused had knowledge of Victoria Falls was the one leading the team to the target.
Wellington Ndoro, a Detective Constable stationed at CID Nkulumane who is a police officer was the getaway driver of a Toyota corolla South African registration number KM34LMGP and he was alsoarrested.
Of the six accused persons one person was left outside the yard as a sentry and the police detective was the getaway driver.
Detective Constable Ndoro who was waiting in the getaway vehicle a South African registered motor vehicle, Toyota corolla, registration number KM34LMGP started the vehicle and Mvula who was sentry jumped in and they attempted to drive away at a high speed.
The response team who were driving a Toyota Land Cruiser gave a chase and upon reaching corner Courtney Selous and West Drive, the neighbourhood watch response team’s motor vehicle hit the accused person’s motor vehicle from behind and the vehicle stopped.
The two accused jumped out and started running on foot on different directions.
A team from ZRP Victoria falls comprising of DUB, CID, PI AND CANINE SECTION and the neighbour watch response team started searching for the accused persons and Detective Constable Ndoro was arrested while hiding inside the yard of house number 134 west drive, Victoria Falls.
Mvula was arrested whilst hiding in a trench along Courtney Selous road, Victoria Falls.
The other four accused managed to flee away and are yet to be apprehended.
Investigations carried out established that, Detective Constable Ndoro is a member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Criminal Investigations department stationed at CID Nkulumane recently transferred from MFFU Gwanda and is currently on vacation leave ending January 2024.
It was also established that the getaway motor vehicle Toyota Corolla registration number KM34LMGP, Chassis number AHT BBOJE500012676, engine number 1ZRV151529 and colour Silver is in custody of Detective Constable Ndoro who alleges that the owner is in South Africa.
The vehicle is registered in the name of Thandanani Dube ID Number 7708046191087 according to the documents which were recovered in the vehicle.
The vehicle entered Zimbabwe on the 26th of September 2023 through Beitbridge border post being driven by Phumulani Nkomo passport number AE653729 of number 810 Emakhandeni Bulawayo according to the temporary permit.
Four by cellphones comprising of 2x Huawei and 2x Samsung models were recovered from the detective who is alleging that he was hired by the accused persons to come and commit the robbery.
He also alleges that two of the accused persons who are still at large were armed with two pistols which they had brought from South Africa.
Investigations also established that two of the four accused who are still at large are only known by nicknames as Shorty and KK/Madala.
The other one is known as Mduli and the fourth one is only described as a coloured guy from South Afrtica.
An assortment of cable tyres were also recovered in possession of the accused person which they wanted to use to tie up the victims.
The getaway motor vehicle was taken to ZRP Victoria falls where it is being kept as an exhibit.
The two arrested accused persons are charged with CONTRAVENING SECTION 189(1) ARW SECTION 126(1) OF THE CRIMINAL LAW CODIFICATION AND REFORM ACT CHAPTER 9:23 (ATTEMPTED ROBBERY INVOVING A POLICE MEMBER) and they will be taken to court.
The references to the case are ZRP Victoria Falls CR 120/12/23 and CID DR 18/12/23 .