The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has denied naming six individuals as suspects behind the daring heist outside an Ecobank branch in Bulawayo a fortnight ago where suspects got away with over US$4 million in yet another twist to what probably is the country’s biggest bank robbery in history.
Some local and foreign publications last week claimed that police had identified Elijah Vumbunu alias Mupositori, Takafa Vumbunu alias Naison Mahembe, David Sawadye, Israel Zulu, Kudakwashe Mudzingwa alias Umbro, Paul Chinake, and Brian Murape as the suspects behind the robbery.
According to the reports, ZRP had sought the help of Interpol to account for the suspects as they were believed to have escaped to South Africa where they allegedly live.
Police spokesperson commissioner Paul Nyathi told The Standard yesterday that the law enforcement agency was not behind the alleged statement identifying the suspects.
“As the ZRP, we have not released any statement or names to the media,” Nyathi said.
“Whoever is circulating those names is mischievous, and has a sinister agenda.
“I can conclusively confirm that the ZRP has not officially released any names of any suspect of that matter.”
The list of suspects triggered debate on social media as it contained names of suspects that were shot and killed in October 2023 by police.
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Zulu and Sawadye were shot and killed under unclear circumstances near Harare’s Southlea Park on October 17, last year.
It is alleged that they were shot during indications near Manyame River.
They were taken to Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare where they were pronounced dead upon admission.
They had been linked to several armed robbery cases dating back to 2019.
The alleged police list also left Zulu and Sewadye’s families distraught.
“If it is true that the police released such a statement, one is left questioning if there is ever such an investigation taking place,” one of Sewadye’s relatives, who requested to remain anonymous, told The Standard yesterday.
“If the police made a mistake, the logical thing to do is to issue an apology to the family.
“We have accepted that we lost our brother under unclear circumstances, but linking him to a crime from his grave cannot be tolerated.”
The US$4 million bank robbery was captured live on camera. Nyathi yesterday said investigations into the case were still ongoing.
The daring thieves armed with AK47 machine guns raided a cash-in-transit Safeguard vehicle carrying boxes of money and made away with US$4 million.
They also took some guns from the Safeguard guards.
In a statement after the robbery, Safeguard said the bank did not indicate that it wanted to move such a huge amount of money.
Police have hinted that the robbery was an inside job.
