News / National
Robbers make off with $30,000 in service station heist
15 Jan 2014 at 07:57hrs | Views
Eight armed men pounced on a service station in Banket, Mashonaland West province, and made off with nearly $30 000 cash and groceries worth $570 early on Monday.
The robbers arrived at MacMorgan Service Station in two unmarked vehicles - a Toyota Noah and Corolla - at around 2am on Monday morning before rounding up three guards that were on duty and threatened to shoot them if they resisted.
They tied the guards with ropes before going to the service station garage where they took a 14-pound hammer and a chisel.
Half of the gang went to the shop and offices where they used the tools to force them open.
The other four remained behind guarding the guards.
They broke the safe using the hammer and chisel and took $28 844 cash and groceries worth $570 which they later dumped about 200m from the service station.
Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara confirmed the robbery adding that the gang was still at large.
"We are dealing with a matter in which eight suspected armed robbers descended on MacMorgan Service Station and broke a safe and made off with $28 844 and groceries," he said.
The robbers went on to disconnect a mounted closed circuit television ostensibly to avoid detection.
They drove off towards Chinhoyi leaving the guards tied in the service station yard.
A man heard some noise as the robbers were pounding the locks and safe before alerting a man with offices at the service station who alerted the police.
Police attended the scene and later found the groceries dumped in a bushy area about 200m from the service station.
The service station was scene to one of the most gruesome murders in 2012 when one of the owners was shot and killed by thieves who again made off with large sums of money.
"It seems these robbers are dealing with information specific to the date and time when they should hit. Businesspeople should bank money," said Insp Mabgweazara.
The robbers arrived at MacMorgan Service Station in two unmarked vehicles - a Toyota Noah and Corolla - at around 2am on Monday morning before rounding up three guards that were on duty and threatened to shoot them if they resisted.
They tied the guards with ropes before going to the service station garage where they took a 14-pound hammer and a chisel.
Half of the gang went to the shop and offices where they used the tools to force them open.
The other four remained behind guarding the guards.
They broke the safe using the hammer and chisel and took $28 844 cash and groceries worth $570 which they later dumped about 200m from the service station.
Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara confirmed the robbery adding that the gang was still at large.
The robbers went on to disconnect a mounted closed circuit television ostensibly to avoid detection.
They drove off towards Chinhoyi leaving the guards tied in the service station yard.
A man heard some noise as the robbers were pounding the locks and safe before alerting a man with offices at the service station who alerted the police.
Police attended the scene and later found the groceries dumped in a bushy area about 200m from the service station.
The service station was scene to one of the most gruesome murders in 2012 when one of the owners was shot and killed by thieves who again made off with large sums of money.
"It seems these robbers are dealing with information specific to the date and time when they should hit. Businesspeople should bank money," said Insp Mabgweazara.
Source - herald
