In an unexpected turn of events, six of the twelve individuals involved in the theft of US$716,340 from the offices of a financial services business in Harare were captured just two days after the audacious crime.
The six suspects will appear in court on Wednesday to face robbery accusations.
The burglars broke into Quest Financial Services on Rochester Road in Belgravia at 1.30 a.m. on Sunday.
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The company provided a money transfer service and a bureau de change out of a converted residential building, with other branches in Harare’s CBD and other major urban centers.
National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said that preliminary investigations indicated that a Quest worker had leaked information to the robbers.
“Preliminary investigations show that there was a leakage of information from insiders to the criminals,” Nyathio said.
The armed robbers, equipped with at least two guns, bolt cutters, drilling machines, and explosives, breached the premises by scaling a perimeter fence. They entered a house where a 47-year-old gardener was sleeping in a backroom, restraining him before searching the offices. The criminals made off with two cash boxes and three HP laptops, eventually detonating a safe and escaping with all the money, neatly packed into a plastic bag.
Security personnel discovered US$5,000 dropped by the escaping robbers and noticed that one of the three safes had been blown open. Explosives were found on a second safe, suggesting a failed attempt due to the timely arrival of the security guards.
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Quest Financial Services Robbers Arrested, US$100K Recovered
A manager informed the police that Quest had received US$400,000 on Friday, February 23, from Capital Bank for distribution to the company’s clients. The money was delivered by guards from Real Star Security.
While specific details regarding how the police successfully arrested the suspects in such a short time remain undisclosed at this time, law enforcement sources indicated that nearly $100,000 in cash was recovered upon the arrest of the six individuals.
