Bulawayo, (New Ziana)- Police in Bulawayo have warned motorists that armed criminal gangs in the city have escalated their operations and are now targeting high-value Special Utility Vehicles (SUVs) which they are smuggling out of the country.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed a sharp rise in armed robberies targeting SUVs, adding that the syndicates are increasingly hijacking high-end vehicles.
She said on June 11, at around 10:40 PM, a 64-year-old woman from Malindela parked her silver Toyota Fortuner outside her house in Pumula South where she had gone to asses progress at the property, which is being painted.
The woman reportedly left her car secured and at around 11:30 PM when she went back to where she had parked it intending to go back to Malindela, she was approached by two unknown assailants brandishing a pistol and demanded the car keys, threatening to shoot her if she refused to comply. “She surrendered the car keys.
They also forcefully took her sling bag which had US$43, a plastic containing pain tablets valued at US$50. In the car boot, there was a 20-litre bucket of paint valued at US$138. The two suspects jumped into the motor vehicle and sped off.
“A police report was made. The total value stolen is US$5 5000 and nothing was recovered,” Msebele said.
\In another incident, Msebele said on June 16 at around 8:45 PM, a 37 year old man from Parklands who was in the company of his wife was driving a silver Toyota Fortuner from Bulawayo Central Business District (CBD) towards Inyathi, in the Bubi district of Matabeleland North provinvce. When they were close to Kingsdale shops, he parked his vehicle at a dark place by the roadside for recess.
“As he was disembarking from his vehicle, the five unknown suspects emerged from behind the vehicle armed with a pistol and okapi knife. One of the suspects who was armed with a pistol demanded the car keys and jumped into the vehicle whilst the other four opened the passenger doors and got inside. The accused persons then sped off and drove for approximately 50 metres towards the airport,” she said.
“They then stopped and instructed the complainant’s wife to jump out of the vehicle. Inside the vehicle there were groceries all valued at US$50 and 2 iPhone 13 ProMax phones all valued at $1 400. A police report was made. Total value stolen is US$46 450 and nothing was recovered,” she added.
Msebele implored motorist to make sure they fit their vehicles with tracking devices and be vigilant when driving at night. “When recessing one should make sure that they do it in a well-lit area near buildings and shops,” she warned.
New Ziana
