Six armed robbery suspects killed in a shoot-out with police in Bulawayo

Online Writer

A DRAMATIC exchange of gunfire between police officers and a gang of armed robbery suspects ended in tragedy in the early hours of 18 March 2025, near the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls tollgate in Insuza.

According to a statement from the police, six suspects had spent the entire day drinking and observing operations at the Young Money General Dealer Shop in Insuza before executing a robbery late at night.
The assailants, armed with pistols, knives, and axes, stormed the shop, overpowered two victims, and bound their hands with electric cables before covering their faces with blankets.

Demanding gold and cash, the gang ransacked the premises, making off with an undisclosed sum of money, various groceries, a 48-volt lithium battery, an inverter, an amplifier, a nine-kilogram gas tank, and multiple mobile phones. The stolen goods were hastily loaded into their silver Honda Fit, bearing registration number AEY 4843, before they sped off into the night.

One of the victims managed to alert their employer, who quickly reported the crime to the police. Acting on the tip-off, law enforcement officers swiftly positioned themselves along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, where they spotted the suspects’ vehicle approaching the tollgate. When ordered to stop, the gang responded by opening fire on the police, triggering a fierce shoot-out.

In the chaos, the suspects rammed their vehicle into the tollgate’s boom barrier in an attempt to escape. However, they were subdued by the responding officers and subsequently transported to the United Bulawayo Hospitals, where they were later pronounced dead.

Police recovered a cache of weapons from the suspects, including two pistols loaded with four live rounds, two gas-operated pistols, two knives, and an axe. Additionally, some of the stolen property, including the groceries, lithium battery, inverter, gas tank, and amplifier, was found in the vehicle.

In a firm warning to criminal elements, the ZRP reaffirmed its commitment to combating armed robbery syndicates across the country.

“There is no going back in the fight against armed robbery. Any form of confrontation by criminals will be met with appropriate measures,” the statement read.