Armed robber jailed 12 years for US$30k theft

The soldier was jailed four years for the offence

Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau

One of the armed robbers who recently shot, injured and robbed a Beitbridge based foreign currency dealer of US$30 000 has been jailed for an effective 12 years .

Pirikisi Mirikia (38) committed the offence while in the company of another accomplice Leonard Huni who is still at large and Arnold Mhosva who has since died from injuries after he and Mirikia were severely assaulted by a mob which cornered them in Mabidi suburb along the Beitbridge to Bulawayo Road.

Someone in the crowd stole the bag holding US$30 000 and R50 000.

The duo ran out of luck after their pistol ran out of ammunition, so the pursuing mob they had been keeping at bay closed in.

Mirikia was convicted after pleading guilty to a charge of armed robbery when he appeared before regional magistrate, Mr Innocent Bepura yesterday.

Prosecuting, Miss Tsitsi Mutukwa told the court that on February the gang called the dealer around 11:23am, proposing to exchange R100 000 into US dollars and they agreed to conclude the transaction later.

At around 2pm, Mirikia called the dealer again and advised him that they were at Total Service Station in the border town.

Without suspecting anything, the dealer drove to the service station in his Honda Fit where he met Mirikia and Mhosva, while Huni remained in the getaway car, a Toyota Noah who registration numbers are yet to be established.

The two robbers agreed to conclude the money exchange in the dealer’s car and Mirikia sat just behind the driver, while Mhosva sat in the front passenger seat.

As they were about to start the transaction, Mhosva withdrew a pistol from the bag he had been carrying and threatened to shoot the money changer if he resisted his orders to surrender all the money in his possession.

The dealer resisted, so Mhosva pushed him out of the vehicle and shot him once on the right leg and the two men drove off at high speed in the Honda Fit.

However, they ran out of luck when one of the Honda Fit’s wheels sprung loose, immobilising the vehicle.

Huni then sped off in the Toyota Noah.

Mirikia and Mhosva who tried to escape on foot with their bag holding US$30 000 and R50 000 while firing in the air were chased by a mob.

They were cornered when the pistol ran out of ammunition and they were thoroughly beaten by the crowd, and were then handed over to the police. During the scuffle an unknown person took the bag full of money and disappeared. The money is yet to be recovered.

The police managed to recover the firearm from Mirikia and Mhosva.