US$18 000 bureau de change heist in Bulawayo

Police said five armed robbers approached the security guards at his home, brandishing several unknown pistols.

THREE armed robbers staged a daring daylight heist at a bureau de change in Bulawayo’s central business district on Wednesday and got away with more than US$18 000 and R151 000 after disarming a security guard.

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident, describing it as a highly co-ordinated operation pointing to the possibility of an inside job.

The robbery occurred around 8AM at Nkolozi Investments, located on the first floor of the CIPF Building at the corner of Jason Moyo Street and 9th Avenue.

“The three suspects walked into the complex and made their way to the bureau de change, pretending to be customers. They then unleashed a short reign of terror, attacking the guard and seizing his firearm,” said Comm Nyathi.

He said the suspects demanded access to the safes and a remote key, before tampering with the CCTV system and erasing footage from that morning. They also took the employees’ cellphones and cash before fleeing the scene.

“We suspect this could be an inside job because of the precision with which the robbery was executed. However, I want to assure members of the public that it is only a matter of time before the suspects are apprehended. Investigations are underway,” said Comm Nyathi.

He said police have since intensified crackdowns on armed robbery gangs, warning businesses handling large sums of cash to tighten their security systems.

A witness at the scene said the suspects fled on foot suggesting they probably had a getaway car parked some distance away.

“It happened so fast such that there was no time to react. We were all shocked and temporarily immobilised by what was happening. I have never experienced such a scenario and it was really scary,” said the witness.
Company officials declined to comment, citing ongoing investigations.

The latest incident comes amid a spike in armed robberies and hijackings in Bulawayo. Last month, suspected robbers shot and injured a 33-year-old man believed to be a foreign currency dealer before robbing him of US$4 000 and R60 000.

Police have repeatedly raised concern over the growing menace of armed robberies, often targeting banks, businesses, forex dealers and individuals keeping large sums of money in their homes. Zimbabwe has in recent years recorded several high-profile robberies, the most infamous being the US$4 million Ecobank heist, which occurred in

October last year in Bulawayo as the money was being transferred from the bank to a security van. The robbery is Zimbabwe’s biggest cash heist in years.

That case shocked the nation and underlined the growing involvement of organised criminal syndicates in armed robberies.