Online Reporter
Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
THE latest suspect arrested in connection with the US$4 million Ecobank heist has been linked to a robbery at a Nedbank branch in Belmont, Bulawayo where the robbers got away with US$271 500 and R2 million.
According to police sources, the suspect, Bhekani Mlilo who was arrested in Botswana was part of the seven-member gang that robbed the Nedbank in 2023.
For the Nedbank robbery, police only managed to arrest two suspects, who have since been prosecuted in connection with the crime.
Police on Friday confirmed Mlilo’s arrest, saying that the 39-year-old was arrested on 14 July in Botswana while attempting to cross into the country from South Africa.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi could not, however, deny or confirm Mlilo’s involvement in the Nedbank robbery.
He said police are still hunting for other suspects believed to be involved in the robbery.
That brings the number of suspects arrested in connection with the high-profile heist to three, following the arrest of Abraham Temayi Vumbunu and Elijah Temayi Vumbunu in South Africa earlier this month.
“The due processes of the law are now taking effect for the suspect’s extradition to Zimbabwe,” said Commissioner Nyathi.
Police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) are also engaged in legal extradition processes to bring back for prosecution the notorious Vumbunu brothers, who were arrested in South Africa over US$4 million Ecobank heist.
The brothers, Abraham and Elijah Temayi, remain in custody in South Africa following their arrest in connection with the robbery that occurred in October last year.
Comm Nyathi said the extradition process was underway.
“In terms of their extradition processes, it is still a work in progress. There are legal processes that should be followed and these are still being followed,” he said.
The brothers were arrested on 5 July as police intensified their search for other suspects still at large.
Elijah, alleged to be the ringleader, led a seemingly ordinary life, owning a trucking business and residing in affluent neighbourhoods.
Sources indicate that he owned multiple properties and had recently sold some to acquire a sprawling farm named Orange Farm in South Africa, where he was ultimately arrested after a relentless manhunt.
The NPA in Zimbabwe made a request for provisional custody to their South African counterparts, which facilitated the arrest of the suspects.
Reports suggest that the brothers had disposed of some of their properties to invest in farms and isolated properties.
The NPA is collaborating with South African authorities to identify the suspects’ properties and high-end vehicles acquired after the robbery.
The brothers also own a fleet of haulage trucks that operate in the region.
The Bulawayo heist is regarded as one of the largest bank robberies in Zimbabwe’s history, prompting Interpol to assist in tracking down the six suspects, including the Vumbunu brothers.
The robbers, who resided in South Africa, would only cross the Limpopo River when targeting significant heists.
Elijah had previously been released on ZW$50 bail while appealing a 40-year sentence for a 2003 robbery in Mutare, where he and his gang stole US$40 million.
