‘Armed robbers’ storm police station and steal guns

By Tichaona Sibanda
30 June 2006

Three robbers using ‘toy guns’ walked into Ntabazinduna police station in Matebeleland North on Thursday and tied up a policeman before stealing two ‘real’ rifles and 49 rounds of ammunition and making their get away.

The three robbers, brandishing the powerful FN rifles, walked off casually from the police station towards a primary school nearby where they robbed teachers at gun point of their cellphones.

Police Assistant Commissioner Bothwell Mugariri issued a statement Thursday saying investigations have been launched to unravel how three people using toy guns could storm a police station and steal guns.

Themba Nkosi our Bulawayo correspondent said the daring robbers took advantage of the fact that the station at the time was being manned by a single officer who was overpowered and badly beaten up.

‘After they beat him, they tied his hands and feet together and ransacked the station before walking off with the two rifles. The officer was only rescued by colleagues who had come back to the station from patrol duties,’ Nkosi said.

By the time police made follow-up operations, the robbers had already waved down a car from the nearby Bulawayo-Gweru highway and headed towards Bulawayo, which is 44 km south of Ntabazinduna. Just how the robbers managed to conceal the weapons remains a major talking point among investigating officers.

There are fears the robbers could have acted on information supplied from within. Themba Nkosi said the timing of the robbery, when one officer was holding fort, raises suspicions over the precision of the raid on the police station.

‘Already there is talk within the force that it was the work of someone who had inside information, someone who knew pretty well that many of the policemen would be out on patrol,’ said Nkosi.