BEITBRIDGE police on Sunday shot and killed a suspected kingpin of armed robbers allegedly responsible for a string of robberies in the border town.
BY OWN CORRESPONDENT
Four of the deceased’s gang members were arrested after the shooting at Dulivhadzimo bus terminus in the afternoon.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident yesterday.
“Yes, we have been having problems in Beitbridge of late and one man was shot,” she said without giving further details saying investigations were in their infancy.
A source close to investigations yesterday said the deceased, identified only as Cader, resisted police arrest and became violent. He was hit in the head.
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“He was identified as the leader of a gang that robbed money changers in a three-week blood and terror campaign in which taxi driver Cliff Chioza was also killed,” the source said.
At least six money changers were stripped of varying amounts of cash collectively running close to $50 000 in different currencies.
The latest robbery was on Saturday night and some of Cader’s alleged accomplices were assisting police with investigations. Cader, an ex-convict for breaking into trucks at the border post, was also accused of having robbed and raped border jumpers among a string of other crimes.
Yesterday police were reported to have combed the houses of the suspects’ girlfriends hoping to recover loots.
“They also held an identification parade, where some victims positively identified the suspects,” the source said.
Armed robbers have laid siege on Beitbridge ever since South Africa released some notorious Zimbabwean robbers, after they served different terms for similar crimes in that country.