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Crime Reporter
Police have identified two houses and two vehicles bought by the suspected mastermind of last year’s ZB Bank cash heist, Shadreck Jowa, from his share of the loot.
Jowa appeared in court last week and was remanded to October 31 for trial.
He has to apply for bail at the High Court given the seriousness of the alleged offence.
Sources close to the investigations yesterday said they have identified that Jowa bought two houses in Stoneridge Park and two vehicles, a Toyota Hiace and a Toyota Wish, using part of the money from the heist.
The vehicles and the houses have since been seized by the police until the matter is finalised.
Police are still investigating and in the process of checking other properties and cars that they believe Jowa could have bought.
Jowa (55) is alleged to have masterminded the robbery of US$2,7 million and $43 000, which occurred last year at Gwebi River Bridge along the Harare-Chirundu Road.
He recently appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Taurai Manwere. Jowa’s co-accused are expected to appear in court on October 31 for trial.
His wife and adult children also appeared in court last week on charges of sheltering a known suspect in a criminal case and were remanded in custody.
On Wednesday last week detectives from CID Homicide received information that Jowa, who had initially fled to South Africa after allegedly committing the crime, was at Willovale Flats in Highfield.
The detectives went round and arrested him. In the wake of the theft, the police have been rounding up the suspected gang members and have so far, besides Jowa, arrested Fanuel Musakwa (34), Gerald Rutizirira (36), Kelvin Musakwa (25), Tendai Zuze (35), Neverson Mwamwuka (35), Trymore Chapfika, Tozivepi Chirara (28), Tererence Matimba (28), Dennis Madondo (30) and Tatenda Gadzikwa (39) in connection with the case.
One of the suspects, Charles Chirara (30), was shot dead while committing another robbery at Joseph Nemaisa’s residence in Chadcombe, Harare, while on bail.
Fanuel Musakwa, Gerald Rutizirira, Kelvin Musakwa and Terence Matimba were also arrested, but skipped bail granted by the High Court and are now on the run.
Recovery of the stolen money, or seizure of assets believed to have been bought using the money, continues.
So far US$693 026 and $ 1 410 of the cash has been recovered, and besides Jowa’s two houses and two vehicles, another 14 vehicles worth US$129 900, three other houses valued at US$115 000 have been recovered, a total of US$937 926 before the latest seizures.
Two firearms used in the commission of the crime had been recovered by the police.
Investigations done by the police indicate that there is evidence of communication between Jowa and his accomplices before and during the commission of the offence.
There is evidence that Jowa was at, or around the crime scene in Nyabira when the heist was pulled, a suspicious development given that he stays in Highfield, Harare. Jowa was implicated by his accomplices as having participated in the commission of the offence.
The accused dug a pit at his yard and buried the cash to conceal the offence. Cash amounting to US$20 500 linked to the robbery was recovered hidden at his rural house in Mudakwenda Village, Chief Mushava, Mamina, soon after the offence.
Circumstances are that on January 6, 2021 at around 11.30am, Jowa and his accomplices who are already on remand together with others who jumped bail or who have yet to be arrested, staged a robbery of a cash-in-transit van carrying seven boxes laden with cash amounting to US$2 775 000 and $43 090.
Fanuel Musakwa, who was one of the cash-in-transit crew members, would allegedly communicate and update Jowa of their movements.
The US dollars were to be distributed to ZB Bank branches in Chinhoyi, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Gweru, Fife Street Bulawayo Branch, Gwanda and Zvishavane.
The local currency was the takings from a toll gate on route being carried to a bank branch.
It is understood that along the way, the driver of the cash-in-transit van stopped to pick up three accomplices at Inkomo Turn-off after Fanuel Musakwa requested that they be picked up on the pretext they genuine travellers who were hitch-hiking.
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When they reached 60km peg, the driver stopped the vehicle and some suspects who were in the car disembarked and produced a pistol, threatening to shoot the crew members.
Other accomplices immediately arrived, driving a red Toyota Hilux twin-cab owned and driven by Gerald Rutizirira. The Toyota Hilux pulled off the road where four accomplices, armed with unidentified pistols, confronted them.
The suspects then drove the cash-in-transit van off the highway to a secluded place and offloaded the boxes of cash, before loading them into a red Toyota Hilux and driving off the scene, leaving the crew members.
The accused went to some farms west of Nyabira where they broke the boxes and stole cash amounting to US$2 775 000 and $43 090 and shared the loot amongst themselves before dumping the boxes.
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