Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi
By Dickson Bandera
A suspect in the Southerton gun robbery, Sam Mudzuri (42) was on Saturday gunned down by police detectives after a raid at his hideout in Chitungwiza, Harare.
The swift detection and arrest is yet another demonstration of excellence by the Zimbabwe Republic Police in detecting and arresting notorious criminals.
The Southerton robbery on October 30 was staged in a movie style, with two vehicles used to block Jordan Mark Matthee’s way before three men on foot, one armed with a pistol, another with a knife and a third with an iron bar, closed and threatened the driver to comply. One of them smashed the driver’s window and demanded cash and other valuables.
The robbers snatched Matthee’s bag which contained an iPhone 11, iPad Mini 6, US$250 cash and personal items including Matthee driver’s licence and bank cards, before speeding off along Harare Drive towards Houghton Park.
The robbery was captured by the victim, Jordan Mark Matthee on his vehicle’s dashcam.
After receiving a report at Southerton Police, police detectives summoned their expertise and tracked the case down leading to the Saturday raid in Chitungwiza.
Mudzuri, who was hiding at his girlfriend’s house in Chitungwiza is said to have opened fire on the police detectives upon arrival but would be shot on his lower limbs as he fled.
He was ferried to Parirenyatwa Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police said before his death, Mudzuri named four accomplices namely Paul ‘Pauros’ Chinake, other three only identified as Lovejoy also known as Shorty, Teddy and Betto.
Paul Chinake, a gun trotting robber, has been on the police wanted list, linked to a string of armed robberies across the country, including the raid on a How Mine convoy in October last year in which 12kg of gold worth US$675,000 was stolen.
Investigations are continuing and police is appealing for information that may lead to the arrest ofthose still at large.
