adminalong the Limpopo River.
Zimbabwean authorities swooped on 47 suspected criminals while their South African counterparts accounted for 35 suspects in an early morning raid yesterday.
Police also recovered an assortment of dangerous weapons such as knives, iron bars, knobkerries, machetes and others. The operation was dubbed “Peace in Beitbridge”.
Officer commanding Beitbridge district Chief Superintendent Lawrence Chinhengo confirmed the arrests yesterday. He said the operation followed an upsurge in cases of unlawful entry, armed and plain robberies and vehicle thefts. The increase has, however, been attributed to ex-convicts and border jumpers being deported from South Africa every week.
“Of late we have been recording an increase in cases of unlawful entries, robberies and thefts. In most cases these were being perpetrated by such criminals who live in bushes along the Limpopo River. This then prompted us to conduct a joint operation with our South African counterparts to account for most of these criminals.”
He said most of the criminals played hide and seek with the police along the river.
“They would escape to either side of the border depending on who will be pursuing them. This time around there was nowhere to run to.”
He said they arrested nine suspects at Dulibadzimu Gorge, 22 near the border post, six near the spill way on the east of the New Limpopo Bridge and 10 near Mujuta Farm.
“The idea was to account for those who would escape to either sides of the border and this has proved to be effective.” he said.
He said police have already linked three suspects to a spate of armed robberies in Masvingo province.
Online Reporter