The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
TWELVE robbers armed with an AK-47 rifle and wearing work-suits and balaclavas reportedly robbed a service station in Kwekwe and got away with cash and property valued at over US$600 000.
Police are currently hunting for the suspects.
A police memo seen by The Sunday Mail Online indicates that on November 25, Mr William Peter Heulett – the owner of Rockdox Service Stations – locked US$450 000 in a safe at his offices in Kwekwe, which he intended to use to buy a service station in Masvingo.
He, however, did not tell his accountant, Mr Daniel Madzivanyika, the first complainant, about the cash.
At around 5pm the following day, Mr Madzivanyika also put cash amounting to US$129 140 and R48 430 realised from the sale of fuel in the same safe.
Both Mr Heulett and Madzivanyika have access to the safe.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the armed robbers stormed Rockdox Service Station and overpowered three security guards at the premises – Tonny Mbano, Tinotenda Tsekeya and Isheanesu Chibaya.
They subsequently cut door hinges with a bolt-cutter and gained entry into the administration office.
In one of the offices, they took cash amounting to US$1 700 and R5 000 that had been left in a drawer.
They also took a Dewalt drilling machine valued at R6 000.
The robbers managed to open the safe and took away US$580 840 and R53 430.
At around 4am, the security guards eventually untied themselves and called the service stations operations manager, Mike Ndlovu.
A police report was made at ZRP Kwekwe Central Police Station.
