ZRP SUPERIORITY ESTABLISHED AS ARMED ROBBER IS DISPATCHED TO ETERNAL REST IN CHEGUTU.

By Dr MASIMBA MAVAZA

In a movie style reminiscent of a fictional movie ZRP elite CID team swooped on armed robbers in Chegutu, killing one and detaining four.

The violent armed robber was shot dead after a high-speed chase turned Chegutu’s CBD into a warzone, with police leaving two of his accomplices in handcuffs and the gang’s battered getaway car riddled with bullet holes.

Bullets flew in the streets, aiming at the robbers ‘ away car with precision.

As if trained to aim at the robbers and missing the bystanding bystanders, the bullets landed on the damned car, ending the robber’s life instantly.

The drama unfolded on Friday when detectives cornered the gang, wanted for a bloody September 14 heist in which machete-wielding thugs terrorised a kombi driver and snatched US$266 along the Chegutu–Chinhoyi Road.

The same gang was wanted for several robbery and theft cases in and around Chegutu. Instead of surrendering, the robbers tried to flee in their Honda Fit.

What followed was pure chaos, screeching tyres, bullets flying, and terrified bystanders diving for cover as cops opened fire to stop the getaway car.

By the time the smoke cleared, ringleader Tafadzwa Mumba was slumped with gunshot wounds.

He was rushed to the hospital but never made it out alive.

His partners in crime, Valentine Dipuka (30) and Tinashe Chimukono, were dragged out of the bullet-riddled wreck and thrown into custody.

Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi pulled no punches afterward.

“Criminals must know there is no going back in the fight against crime,” he declared.

“Those who think they can flee or fight back against our crack teams will face the consequences.”

The seized Honda Fit, number plates AEQ 5393, is now hard evidence in the ongoing probe – a stark symbol of how fast the gang’s reign of terror came to a brutal end.

Nyathi was blunt: “It is in the interest of law and order for suspects to cooperate during arrests. We urge the public to keep tipping us off about these thugs before more blood is shed.”