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A ZB Bank employee, suspected of being the mastermind of the infamous US$2.7 million robbery, appeared in court over the weekend.
Shadreck Njowa appeared before Harare magistrate, Dennis Mangosi, who remanded him in custody to next month.
The court heard that on January 6 last year, Njowa connived with his accomplices to rob a cash-in-transit van.
The van had US$2 775 000 in seven boxes, which were to be distributed to ZB Bank branches in Chinhoyi, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Fife Street Bulawayo, Gwanda and Zvishavane.
It is alleged that one of the cash-in-transit van crew members, Fanuel Musakwa, was communicating with Njowa and updating him about their location periodically.
Along the way, the cash-in-transit crew collected one box, containing $43 090, at Inkomo tollgate, which was to be deposited at the bank.
The crew members drove towards Chinhoyi and picked up three accomplices at the Inkomo turn-off after Musakwa requested him to give a lift to them, pretending they were genuine travellers.
When they got to the 60km peg, the driver stopped the van, where the other accomplices waiting in a car disembarked, and pointed a pistol at them, threatening to shoot the crew members.
Other accomplices driving a red Toyota twin cab, owned and driven by Gerald Rutizirira, arrived with four accomplices, armed with unidentified pistols.
They confronted the crew and took their guns.
They drove the van off the highway to a secluded place and offloaded the cash boxes, and loaded them into the Toyota Hilux, before driving off.
The gang went to a farm, west of Nyabira, where they broke the cash boxes containing US$2 775 000 and $43 090, and shared the loot.
Njowa was arrested after being on the run for almost two years.
Njowa’s wife Patricia Kanhukamwe and his sons, Job, Washington and Takawira Misheck, also appeared in court charged for assisting in commission of the crime.
The court heard that the family was informed that Njowa was wanted, in connection with the robbery, and were ordered by the police to inform them whenever he got in touch.
On Thursday last week, the police went to Njowa’s house and asked his family about his whereabouts and they were told he had not been seen since January 6, 2021, the day of the robbery.
The police went into the house and found Njowa inside, and arrested him, and the family, for assisting him evade arrest.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter