Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu
POLICE in Matabeleland South have urged members of the community who receive large sums of money from the diaspora to use legitimate sources of receiving the cash as many people have fallen victim to armed robbers.
The province recorded a 35 percent increase in armed robbery cases from January to April this year compared to the same period last year.
172 armed robbery cases were recorded from January to April this year while 127 cases were recorded during the same period last year.
Acting provincial police officer commanding Matabeleland South, Assistant Commissioner Peter Sibanda recently said they suspect foul play from some cross-border transporters that were being tasked to deliver cash.
He said some of them could be working in cahoots with armed robbers.
“As a province, we received a 35 percent increase in armed robbery cases. What is concerning is that armed robbery cases were traditionally known to occur in urban areas but they have now become very frequent and very common in rural areas. Our rural folk are losing a lot of valuables including money which they receive through their relatives outside the country,” he said.
“The million-dollar question is “how would the criminal be knowing that a certain person would have received a large amount of money”. As police, we always encourage community members to ensure that they don’t keep large sums of money within their homes. We also urge people to be careful about who delivers valuable property or money to them. Our strong suspicion is that the information is leaked to criminals by those who hand over the money to our communities such as omalayitsha.”
Online Reporter