The alarming incidents come as Zimbabwe is still grappling with the unresolved disappearance of US$4 million in Bulawayo this year.
In one of the latest cases, over US$20 000 was stolen from a cash-in-transit vehicle operated by a private security company. The vehicle was transporting cash from Beitbridge to Mutare when the robbery occurred on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the heist was facilitated by a lapse in security when the cash-in-transit crew allowed two unknown passengers to board the vehicle. The crew later dropped off the passengers between Rutenga and Ngundu. It was only upon reaching Ngundu that the crew realized a metal cash box was missing, by which time the suspects had already escaped.
Meanwhile, in Bulawayo, a suspected gang of armed robbers targeted a steel company, making off with US$32 000 in cash and other valuables. The suspects stormed the premises, swiftly executing the heist before vanishing without a trace. This incident has further fueled concerns over the rising cases of armed robberies in the country.
In a separate incident, tension escalated to violence in Mutare, where a suspected smuggler was shot dead during a confrontation with ZRP officers.
The police reported that Admire Tawanda Sibanda, aged 40, was part of a group escorting a truck loaded with smuggled bales of secondhand clothes. A shootout ensued after Sibanda produced a pistol, resulting in his death.
