Armed robbers Taj Abdul, Lundu jailed

Notorious armed robbers, Musa Taj Abdul and Charles Lundu, were this week each jailed for eight years for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, which police suspected were being used in various robbery incidents.

Harare magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera jailed Taj Abdul and Lundu five years for unlawful possession of a modified 12 bore double barrel shot gun before setting aside a year on condition they did not commit similar offences involving firearms.

The two were sentenced to five years in prison for illegally possessing live rounds of ammunition.

Another year was suspended on condition that they will not commit crimes involving the possession of live ammunition.

Taj Abdul and Lundu will serve their sentences concurrently.

Mrs Shambadzeni Fungura, prosecuting, had it that sometime in August 2020, detectives from CID Homicide were told that the two criminals, who were on the run for several armed robberies, had been arrested in Beitbridge.

Police made follow ups and took the two for interviews before being led to a certain house in Borrowdale, Harare where they recovered the firearms in a flower bed.

The recovered firearm was booked by the police and the two signed an acknowledgment that they had led the police to the recovery of the shot gun.

During the same period, police recovered a shot gun and ammunition which were taken to CID Forensic and Ballistics for examination.

A report revealed that the firearm did not match any of the scenes of the robberies.

The police also went to the Central Firearms Registry and it was discovered that there was no record pertaining to the recovered shot gun and the duo was not licensed to own the gun.