HARARE
–
Three
men
who
were
arrested
last
week
on
allegations
of
murdering
a
Bulawayo
police
officer
are
being
investigated
for
50
armed
robbery
cases
which
occurred
in
the
country’s
second
largest
city
and
its
surrounding
areas
since
April
last
year.
Albert
Munangati,
26,
Clifford
Desmond
Nare,
33,
and
Thabo
Dube,
24,
were
seized
last
week
in
a
dramatic
police
operation
that
saw
two
of
their
colleagues
killed
in
a
shootout
with
detectives.
They
are
prime
suspects
in
the
callous
killing
of
Sergeant
Abel
Masava,
who
was
shot
dead
aged
43
in
Sizinda,
Bulawayo
on
March
28,
2025.
The
slain
police
officer
was
shot
in
cold
blood
after
stopping
five
men
he
had
observed
walking
suspiciously
in
Sizinda
suburb
midnight.
Masaya
had
gone
out
to
attend
a
domestic
violence
incident
in
the
high
density
suburb
when
he
got
fatally
shot
after
solely
confronting
the
suspects
as
he
waited
in
the
car
outside
a
home
where
he
had
accompanied
his
colleagues
to
resolve
the
domestic
quarrel.
Police
spokesperson
Commissioner
Paul
Nyathi
said
the
firearm
used
to
kill
Masaya
was
recovered
from
the
suspects
who
are
also
linked
to
a
spate
of
armed
robbery
cases
which
occurred
in
Bulawayo
between
22
April
2024
and
28
March
2025.
In
an
update
on
Monday,
Nyathi
said
the
suspects
were
being
linked
to
50
armed
robbery
crimes
committed
in
and
around
Bulawayo
in
the
period.
“In
total,
the
suspects
are
clearing
50
armed
robbery
cases,
including
a
case
which
occurred
on
10
April
2024
at
Fundisi
Mine,
Umguza
where
US$2,704
cash
was
stolen
after
the
complainant
had
been
attacked
by
the
suspects
who
were
armed
with
pistols,
knives
and
wooden
sticks,
and
another
robbery
case
which
occurred
on
15
March
2025
at
a
fuel
service
station
in
Cowdray
Park,
Bulawayo
where
ZAR186,000
was
stolen,”
Nyathi
said.
The
police
spokesperson
urged
the
public
to
continue
volunteering
some
information
to
assist
with
their
investigations.