By Staff Reporter
Chipinge – Armed robbers made off with a significant haul of US$111,000 and R1.28 million in a daring raid on a Fawcett Security facility in Chipinge early Wednesday morning.
According to police, a group of at least five armed men carried out the heist shortly before 3 AM.
The robbers first targeted two Fawcett Security guards patrolling the town center in their branded Isuzu KB250.
Threatening the guards with firearms, the robbers forced them into the back of the van and drove to an undisclosed location.
There, they were joined by additional accomplices who used tools such as grinders, hammers, and iron bars to break into the cash compartment.
Disguising themselves as Fawcett guards, the robbers then proceeded to the Fawcett depot at 1530 Gaza O Light Industry, where some local businesses keep their money overnight before banking.
“Upon arrival at the office main gate, the accused persons managed to deceive a guard who was manning the entrance to open for them.
“The accused persons entered the yard and when the guard was closing the gate, two of the robbers jumped from the motor vehicle and manhandled him and force marched him towards the offices with both of his hands tied with cable ties from the back,” reads an internal police memo of the incident.
Once inside, the armed robbers overpowered the guards, seized their firearms, and disabled the security systems.
Using a grinder, the robbers forced open a Chubb door leading to the vault, which contained six cash boxes.
They broke into the boxes and loaded the stolen cash into the Fawcett vehicle.
“The robbers then bundled all the Fawcett guards into the cash compartment of the van and drove off to a bushy area at Mooilsplas Farm, 6km north of Chipinge, where they dumped the guards and the motor vehicle,” police said.
One of the guards later managed to untie himself and called for help.
Police later recovered the Isuzu vehicle dumped with the Fawcett uniforms 54km from Chipinge on the road to Birchenough.
The three guns seized from the guards were found dumped inside the yard of the Fawcett establishment.
Police are investigating the incident and searching for the perpetrators.
