Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
THREE men pretended to be cops investigating a case of illegal gold buying and then robbed a gold buyer of R3 600, $160 and US$5 and a Nokia cell phone at his home in Gwanda.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele said the incident occurred on Monday at around 11PM.
“I can confirm that we are investigating a robbery case which occurred in Makwe area. Three unknown men approached the complainant who is a gold buyer at his home and claimed to be part of the Gwanda CID department. They said they had received information that the complainant was into illegal gold buying. “They searched him and took R3 600, $160, US$5 and a Nokia cell phone. They then closed the door and locked it from outside leaving the complainant trapped in the house. The complainant was later assisted by neighbours. The matter was reported to the police who attended the scene,” he said.
Chief Insp Ndebele said no arrests had been made and appealed to members of the public with information that could lead to the arrest or identification of the culprits to contact any nearest police station.
He urged members of the public to be wary of culprits who were moving around impersonating cops.
“If a person is approached by someone purporting to be a police officer especially one not in uniform, they should request to see their identification first in order to avoid such incidents. Even when a police officer is wearing a uniform and they start making suspicious demands people should request to see their identification first.
“We have a number of people who move around impersonating police officers and go on to rob people and members of the public have to be careful not to fall into such traps,” he said.-@DubeMatutu
Online Reporter