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Yeukai Karengezeka-Court Correspondent
Two men have appeared in court for alleged involvement in the US$78 000 robbery at a company operating from Eastgate Mall in central Harare last month.
Jonathan Tembo (26) and Roy Makunike (22) appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi charged with robbery and were remanded in custody pending their bail application.
Their co-accused, Webster Nyarambi, a driver at the company, was the first to be arrested and has since appeared in court separately.
Prosecuting, Mrs Grace Mugocheke alleged that Makunike, also employed as a driver at Satguru Travel and Tours, planned to rob Subhajit Jana, an accountant and tourism manager at the company and assembled a gang of five.
Makunike was working with accomplices Nyarambi and yet another driver Rangariral Manika. But as they were employees they wanted two other men who could not be so easily identified.
Nyarambi, Manika and Makunike reported for work as usual on June 3 and they were communicating with their accomplices Tembo and Dyson Kochelani who are not Satguru employees. The gang was ready to rob Mr Jana as he went to bank money at around 9am.
Tembo and Kochelani, who is still at large,went to Eastgate Mall armed with knives and pepper spray. On their arrival, they allegedly went to the basement area where they switched off the lights and waylaid Mr Jana at the same time waiting for a signal from their accomplices, the Satguru employees.
Jana had US$78 550 cash in a black satchel that he intended to deposit at NMB Bank, Borrowdale branch.
He had ordered Manika to drive him to Borrowdale.
The two walked downstairs to the basement car park where Manika unlocked the white Toyota Allion vehicle they would use.
Manika occupied the driver’s seat while Mr Jana sat in the left back seat.
Before Manika could drive off, Tembo and Kochelani confronted them armed with knives and they pepper sprayed Mr Jana. In order to cover up the involvement of Manika, the two also pepper sprayed Manika.
Tembo and Kochelani tied up the two with tyre cables and took a Redmi 10S cell phone with an Indian line, Samsung A23 cellphone with an Econet line and cash US$78 550 from Mr Jana.
They also took cash US$2, a Samsung J5 cellphone from their accomplice Manika to disguise the robbery.
Mr Jana untied later himself and also untied Manika.
He then reported the matter to the police leading to the investigation that has so far seen three of the five arrested.
Online Reporter