Online Reporter
Thulani Dube, Chronicle Correspondent
A DARING gang of suspected robbers pounced on Sai Mart Shopping Centre in Lobengula West, Bulawayo, in the early hours of Friday, allegedly leaving one security guard seriously injured before escaping with cash, groceries and alcohol.
The robbery reportedly occurred at the Mountain View shop at around 1AM, when a security guard reportedly spotted a suspicious man jumping over the perimeter wall surrounding the supermarket.
Sai Mart is owned by Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Raj Modi.
Sources close to the investigations said the guard alerted another security officer stationed at a nearby service station before the two moved in to investigate.
However, they were allegedly ambushed by a group of about eight men armed with machetes and other weapons.
“One of the guards was severely attacked and sustained deep machete cuts before they tied both guards and forced their way into the premises,” said a source.
The injured guard was rushed to hospital for treatment. The robbers allegedly went on to break into a room housing the shop’s safe before blasting it open with a yet to be identified object and stealing an undisclosed amount of money.
Some of the stolen goods were later reportedly discovered stashed in nearby bushy areas.
Police in Bulawayo could not immediately confirm the incident, referring questions to national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, who was unavailable for comment as he was said to be pressed with other issues.
A police source, however, said they suspect the gang may have had inside knowledge of the supermarket’s layout and security systems after they allegedly destroyed the shop’s surveillance camera network during the attack.
Police sources have since appealed to members of the public with information that could assist investigations to report to the nearest police station.
Police have on several occasions urged business operators to strengthen security systems and avoid keeping large sums of cash on business premises overnight.
The latest robbery has revived memories of a similar armed raid at the same supermarket in 2024, when seven robbers, five of them reportedly armed with guns, struck at almost the same time of the night.
