US$111k, R1,2m heist: Fawcett staff quizzed

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

Herald Reporter

FIVE Fawcett Security staff were last week questioned in connection with the armed robbery at the company premises in Chipinge where US$111 411 and R1 281 320 was stolen.

No arrests have been made so far, and nothing has been recovered.

During the robbery, none of the five Fawcett staff were harmed or robbed of their personal belongings.

The incident occurred when robbers intercepted the company’s patrol vehicle in Chipinge town before attacking two security guards in the vehicle.

They then wore their uniforms and drove the vehicle to the security company’s premises where they attacked the other three security guards before stealing the cash.

Preliminary investigations into the robbery revealed that the five suspects who executed the heist were fed information by a mole in the company. The robbery occurred around 3am on Wednesday last week.

Comm Nyathi said intelligence gleaned from the ground indicates that the robbery suspects were working in cahoots with an insider who supplied them with intricate details of Fawcett operations. He said police would leave no stone unturned in their quest to bring all the culprits involved to book.

Details of the robbery show that at around 3am, two Fawcett Security Company officers, George Nhamo Sithole (59) and driver Dzime Sithole (46), were on routine supervisory patrols using a blue Fawcett Isuzu vehicle, which was parked at the Farm and City shop in Chipinge town. Suddenly, two masked men armed with pistols emerged from behind the van and ordered the two to get out.

The robbers removed the two guards’ jackets and hats and ordered the driver surrender the car keys. The two guards complied with the instructions, and the  robbers changed into their uniforms before tying the hands of their victims behind their backs. They shoved the guards into the vehicle’s cash compartment and locked it.

The other three gang members then arrived and joined their two colleagues, before driving off to Fawcett Security Company premises in Gaza Township. Along the way, the gang stopped to load unknown items into the vehicle. Upon arriving at the premises, they ordered the security officer who was on duty, Mr Mauka Chigonese (49), to unlock the gate.

After opening the gate, Mr Chigonese was manhandled and had his hands tied at the back by the gang using electric cables. The gang disarmed another security guard who was on roving duties, Mr Taurai Tarangwa (48). They removed and used his shoelaces to tie his hands, before forcing him to summon Mr Gordon Gurudza (49), who was monitoring the alarm system, to open the office door.

Upon opening the door, Mr Gurudza was ordered to lie face down and his hands were tied at the back using an electric cable. The gang damaged the alarm control board, exterior light, BVR computer camera saver and two kits to avert detection and destroy evidence. The robbers then opened the vault using a grinder and stole cash stashed in six cash boxes.

They put the money in a sack, then drove off to Moiplass Estate with the security guards still at the back of the vehicle. The robbers parked the truck against a tree trunk to stop the guards from getting out.

Mr Sithole managed to contact Fawcett brand manager Mr Peter Kabaira and he called ZRP Chipinge Urban who rushed to the scene.

The police recovered an empty revolver abandoned at the front of the offices, a shotgun revolver loaded with five rounds dumped at the periphery of the premises’ fence, two used grinding discs left at the offices and another empty revolver left on the bonnet of the Isuzu truck. They also recovered a pair of pliers, two screwdrivers, a shifting spanner, one bulletproof jacket, two Fawcett uniform jackets and one empty bottle of pepper spray.