US$55 000 cash, gold seized in home robbery
Robbers tie 89-year-old victim and wife with cable, escape with safe
By Staff Reporter
Armed robbers stormed a Harare home and seized US$55 000 cash, gold and some valuables form an 89-year-old man and his wife.
For the offence, Paul Makamelo, Kelvin Zimomo, Sign Makamelo, Partially Makamelo, Tonderai Norest Chibvongodze, Christopher Sithole and Innocent Kasu were all jailed 12 years each by a Harare magistrate.
Prosecutors proved that on 29 November 2022 at around 7pm, James Abrahams (89) was in his bedroom with his wife when four of robbers armed with knives and iron bars stormed his bedroom.
“They demanded money and started ransacking the room,” said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a statement.
“The complainant told them that he did not have money wherein one of the accused persons kicked him and instructed him to sit down.”
The robbers tied the couple with a nylon cable and ordered them to sit on the floor.
“Some of the accused persons picked up the safe which was in the room from the floor and put it on top of a chair which was in the bedroom whilst the others were assaulting the complaint and his wife.
“They untied the complainant’s wife who went to the cupboard and retrieved the keys for the safe and handed them over to one of the accused persons.
“The accused persons failed to open the safe and took it away.
“The safe contained US$55 000, gold and other valuables. They locked the complainant and his wife inside the bedroom and left,” NPA said.
The total value stolen was US$62 415 with only US$6 000 recovered.
