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Extradited US$4m armed robbery suspect denied bail
4 hrs ago |
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The Bulawayo High Court has denied bail to Bhekani Milo, an accused in a US$4 million armed robbery case, ruling that he poses a significant flight risk following a lengthy cross-border extradition process.
Milo appeared before Justice Evangelista Kabasa seeking release pending trial on charges under section 126 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The State alleges that on 3 October 2024, Milo and several accomplices travelled from South Africa in a white Ford Ranger before allegedly swapping number plates and targeting a cash-in-transit operation at EcoBank Parkade in Bulawayo.
Prosecutors claim the group ambushed a Safeguard Private Security vehicle, held guards hostage and stole cash boxes containing approximately US$4.4 million, along with firearms, before fleeing the scene.
Milo was later arrested in Botswana in July 2025 and extradited to Zimbabwe in November the same year. Two alleged accomplices, Elijah and Abraham Vumbunu, are reportedly facing extradition from South Africa.
The State argued that the accused had a strong incentive to evade trial, citing the seriousness of the charges, the strength of evidence, and the difficulty authorities faced in apprehending him across multiple jurisdictions.
In his defence, Milo denied involvement, claiming he was in Mozambique at the time of the offence and asserting that he is a family man with a fixed address. He also offered to surrender his passport to address concerns of abscondment.
However, Justice Kabasa ruled that the cumulative factors weighed against granting bail, including the severity of the charges, the likelihood of a lengthy sentence, and the accused's ability to move across borders.
"The applicant is well travelled and the lack of a passport with our porous borders cannot stop one from travelling," the judge said.
She further noted that the extended extradition process demonstrated a real risk of abscondment, concluding that the interests of justice required that bail be refused.
Milo appeared before Justice Evangelista Kabasa seeking release pending trial on charges under section 126 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
The State alleges that on 3 October 2024, Milo and several accomplices travelled from South Africa in a white Ford Ranger before allegedly swapping number plates and targeting a cash-in-transit operation at EcoBank Parkade in Bulawayo.
Prosecutors claim the group ambushed a Safeguard Private Security vehicle, held guards hostage and stole cash boxes containing approximately US$4.4 million, along with firearms, before fleeing the scene.
Milo was later arrested in Botswana in July 2025 and extradited to Zimbabwe in November the same year. Two alleged accomplices, Elijah and Abraham Vumbunu, are reportedly facing extradition from South Africa.
The State argued that the accused had a strong incentive to evade trial, citing the seriousness of the charges, the strength of evidence, and the difficulty authorities faced in apprehending him across multiple jurisdictions.
In his defence, Milo denied involvement, claiming he was in Mozambique at the time of the offence and asserting that he is a family man with a fixed address. He also offered to surrender his passport to address concerns of abscondment.
However, Justice Kabasa ruled that the cumulative factors weighed against granting bail, including the severity of the charges, the likelihood of a lengthy sentence, and the accused's ability to move across borders.
"The applicant is well travelled and the lack of a passport with our porous borders cannot stop one from travelling," the judge said.
She further noted that the extended extradition process demonstrated a real risk of abscondment, concluding that the interests of justice required that bail be refused.
Source - Newsday
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