Online Reporter
Peter Matika, [email protected]
THREE suspected armed robbers boldly raided the Old Nic Mine in Killarney, Bulawayo on Wednesday, escaping with over US$500,000.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly before 1PM, when the three-armed men approached a guard and pointed a gun at him, before disarming him of his firearm while he was on patrol.
The trio is reported to have manhandled the guard before tying him up with tie cables.
Thereafter, according to a mine worker, the suspects shoved the security guard under a white Honda Fit that was stationed in the parking lot.
The mine worker said two of the suspects cut open the fence securing the offices using a cutter and gained entry into the yard.
“They got into the offices through the west-facing door and went straight to an office where they found two staff members. There, they again produced guns and demanded cash. One of the robbers went straight to the desk safe, took US$20,000 and keys with a panic button,” said a witness.
The three suspects are then reported to have demanded keys to the main safe and ordered one of the two staffers to unlock it.
After opening the safe, one of the suspects is reported to have taken cash amounting to US$523,076 and loaded it into a blue sling bag.
They also stole one of the staff members’ mobile phones before fleeing on foot.
The total value stolen is US$543,076, and nothing has been recovered.
Soon after their escape, the two staff members alerted other workers before a police report was made.
Detectives from CID Homicide, the ZRP Canine Unit, and other police officers are reported to have attended the scene.
In 2022, a gang comprising 13 armed robbers raided How Mine in Bulawayo and got away with US$450,000 worth of gold.
Sources from the mine at the time said the robbery occurred around midday.
They said there was a shootout between the robbers and the security guards.
The robbers used a Nissan March, a Toyota GD6, and a Nissan Hardbody to carry out the heist.
Police, however, managed to track and arrest three of the suspects in Douglasdale, Bulawayo, hardly 24 hours after the heist.
One of the suspects was arrested in Beitbridge while attempting to flee to South Africa.
More to follow…
