‘It’s probably Zimbabweans based in SA’: Police in Zimbabwe rope in Interpol after after US$4 million bank robbery

Police
in
Zimbabwe
have
roped
in
Interpol
to
assist
in
tracing
a
group
of
six
armed
robbers
involved
in
a
daring
bank
heist
in
the
City
of
Bulawayo
last
week.

IOL
reported
last
week
that
the
Zimbabwe
Republic
Police
(ZRP)
confirmed
that
investigations
are
in
full
swing
following
the
armed
robbery
incident
where
an
amount
of
US$4
million
(around
R70
million)
was
stolen.

In
a
statement
seen
by
IOL,
spokesperson
for
the
ZRP,
Commissioner
Paul
Nyathi
said
the
incident
happened
in
the
afternoon
on
Thursday
last
week.

In
the
latest
developments,
State
media
in
Zimbabwe
reported
that
the
robbers
are
believed
to
be
Zimbabweans
now
residing
in
South
Africa.

The
suspects
in
the
bank
heist
are
identified
as
Elijah
Vumbunu
alias
Mupositori,
David
Sawadye,
Israel
Zulu,
Kudakwashe
Mudzingwa
alias
Umbro,
Takafa
Vumbunu
alias
Naison
Mahembe,
Paul
Chinake
and
Brian
Murape.

State-owned
The
Herald
reported
that
crack
teams
have
been
deployed
to
Bulawayo
and
surrounding
towns
as
investigations
intensify
into
what
has
been
described
as
the
largest
bank
heist
in
Zimbabwe’s
history.

The
armed
gang
is
suspected
to
be
linked
to
a
series
of
high-profile
robberies
across
Zimbabwe,
including
a
dramatic
cash-in-transit
heist
involving
nearly
12
kg
of
gold
worth
US$675,000.

The
gold
was
reportedly
being
transported
from
a
mine
to
Reserve
Bank
of
Zimbabwe’s
Fidelity
Printers
and
Refiners
in
October
2022.

Police
in
Zimbabwe
have
previously
said
the
circumstances
around
the
Bulawayo
robbery
were
suspicious.

“Initial
indications
are
that
US$4,000,000
cash
has
been
stolen.
The
manner
in
which
this
incident
occurred
shows
an
element
of
an
inside
job
or
leakage
of
information,”
said
Nyathi.