Two Injivas shot trying to flee from cops

POLICE in Bulawayo have arrested three injiva for the alleged armed robbery of a city fuel service station two weeks ago. Two of the suspects are recovering under police guard at the United Bulawayo Hospitals after being shot while trying to flee from detectives who had raided their homes.
The three, who were part of a gang of five, were identified by a source close to investigations as Robson Senzwayo (24) alias Marky Chikonamombe, Surprise Phiri (31) aka Andrea and Webson Sibanda (27), known in criminal circles as Happy.
A source close to the investigations said the three suspected armed robbers were arrested in separate early morning raids starting at about 3.30am on Saturday.
"The suspects are well-known Zimbabweans who have been living in South Africa for some time.
"After extensive investigations, police carried out raids at a house in Gwabalanda and another one in Entumbane to arrest the suspects. Senzwayo was at Entumbane and he tried to escape through the ceiling. He ignored warning shots and was subsequently shot in the buttocks," said the source.
The source said a few minutes later, police raided a house in Gwabalanda where they found Phiri and Sibanda.
"Sibanda tried to run away. Police fired some warning shots into the air, but he continued running.
"A Criminal Investigations Department (CID) marksman then shot him in the thigh," said the source.
The source said Phiri surrendered when he saw that the police meant business.
"The two that were shot are at UBH, under police guard," the source added.
According to the source, police were working at establishing the identities of the other two suspects and would move in and arrest  them as soon as they got a breakthrough.
Although Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo and the CID coordinator for Matabeleland, Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, declined to comment on the latest arrests, sources close to the investigations said the trio was arrested in connection with an armed robbery case that occurred at Total Service Station between 12th Avenue and Robert Mugabe Way on 9 December.
The robbers allegedly pounced on the fuel service station at about 9.30 pm.
One of them went in just as the cashiers were counting cash for the day, under the pretext of wanting to buy fuel.
The other four quickly joined him and one of them threatened the attendants with a pistol.
They force marched them into the garage store and searched them.
The robbers allegedly took about $2 000 in cash and sped off in a Toyota Corolla.
Last week police in Matabeleland issued a stern warning to injiva, who often come into the country and commit crimes before fleeing back to South Africa, especially during the festive season.
Police spokespersons in the region said 80 percent of the police force would be deployed on ground patrols to ensure a heavy police presence so that criminal elements would be deterred.
The police have set up 24-hour roadblocks on roads in and around the region, as they intensify efforts to catch criminals on the wanted list.
On Monday, Insp Moyo said there were about 2 500 criminals on the Bulawayo wanted persons list.