Police have confirmed that three of the five suspects in the Wednesday robbery of a Blue Circle Buses coach bound for Beitbridge at the Vilivili Bus Stop in Mwenezi have been arrested.
According to early reports, the incident occurred on Thursday around 2:30 a.m. Commissioner Paul Nyathi of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), however, clarified in a statement issued on Friday, July 19, that the robbery occurred on July 17.
The three suspects apprehended are Ashton Siziva (26), Sauro Dadirai (24), and Phineas Shumba (25). They were arrested at the Maporisa Business Centre in Maranda, Mwenezi.
The other two suspects, Elphias Mugurugudze and Talent Ndou, remain at large.
Based on the information they received, Mwenezi police arrested Ashton Siziva, Sauro Dadirai, and Phineas Shumba on July 18, 2024, at the Maporisa Business Centre in Maranda, Mwenezi.
Following the three armed robbery suspects’ arrest, two 9 mm handgun rounds, ZAR7,000.00, US$500.00, two Blue Circle bus tickets, and a balaclava were found.
Elphias Mugurugudze and Talent Ndou, the other two suspects, are still at large. There are currently investigations in progress.
The three bus robbery suspects were apprehended after a fight over a woman.
It is said that the suspects tried to impress and win the woman’s affection by flashing a gun and showing off large amounts of pilfered money. They had no idea, though, that the woman they were fighting for was actually a soldier.
The woman cooperated at first, but in the end, she told a police officer about the suspects’ actions and whereabouts, which resulted in the three of them being taken into custody.
The suspects took US$8,621 and ZAR 62,070 during the heist. Comm. Nyathi explained:
The Zimbabwe Republic Police have arrested Ashton Siziva (26), Sauro Dadirai (24) and Phineas Shumba (25) in connection with a robbery that occurred on July 17, 2024, at Vilivili Bus Stop, Mwenezi along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road. A Blue Circle bus bound for Beitbridge from Harare, carrying 33 passengers, was robbed.
Armed with a pistol and knives, five suspects boarded the bus from Harare to Beitbridge and robbed the passengers of US$8 621.00 and ZAR 62 070.00 in cash before firing two shots in the air.
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