The ManicaPost
Abel Zhakata Senior Reporter
A POLICE officer attached to the Zimbabwe Republic Police Support Unit lost an AK47 service rifle to two armed robbers who pounced on him while on duty at the Chiadzwa diamond fields.
The cheeky armed robbers, who were armed with a pistol, robbed the cop at gunpoint and made good their escape with the rifle, which was loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.
The incident happened last Saturday morning at around 2.30am. Manicaland police spokesman Assistant Inspector Luxon Chananda could not confirm the case saying he had not received any report on the case. “I am still in the dark concerning that case you are talking about but as soon as we get a report we will inform you,” he said.
However, a police source revealed that Tellmore Muza, who works at Chikurubi Transtech and was deployed at the Chiadzwa diamond fields, was attacked by the robbers at a guard room in the mining concession.
“On the day in question Muza was on duty together with a Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company security guard. “They were manning a guard room. At around 2.30am the security guard left Muza alone at the guardroom saying he wanted to do some perimeter checks,” said the source. Soon after the security guard left the guard room the robbers pounced on the unsuspecting cop.
“One of the robbers who was wearing reflective clothes pointed a gun at the police officer and ordered him to surrender his service rifle. “They took his gun and disappeared into the darkness,” said the source.
A high-powered team of detectives from Mutare District has since been deployed to the diamond fields to get to the bottom of the case and track the alleged robbers. “This is a sensitive case because an AK47 rifle loaded with ammunition is missing.
“Who knows what the alleged robbers are up to? With such an assault rifle in their hands they can commit a spate of serious armed robbers,” said the source.
