Four armed assailants allegedly attacked a Bulawayo church early Thursday morning, assaulting a priest and seminarian before driving off in the church’s truck.
On the same night, the same robbers also attacked a lady atย the House of Libertyย Christianย church in the same suburb where they got away with a generator and cash.ย
Bulawayo Police Acting spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the incidents.
Asst Insp Msebele said at the Holy Trinity Parish in Cowdray Park, the armed robbers broke into the priestโs house armed with axes and machetes.ย ย
โAtย aroundย 2 am,ย the complainant,ย a male adult aged 48 ofย Cowdrayย Park, was awakenedย by four male accused persons who broke into the house armed with axes and machetes. The accusedย persons wereย knocking on his bedroom door ordering him to open the door. As he opened the door, the accusedย personsย slapped him on his face threatening him andย demandingย cash,โ she said.ย
โThe accused persons then ransacked the complainantโsย bedroom,ย they took a cashbox which was in the wardrobeย containingย an amount of money which is yet to beย ascertained. They also took the complainantโs wallet which had usd$120-00 and hisย Samsungย A14 cellphone. They thenย demanded motor vehicle keys and the complainant gave them keys to a whiteย Isuzuย single cab pickup truck which had aboutย 30ย litresย of diesel, reg numberย AFD0450.โย
Asst Insp Msebele said the robbers proceeded to the seminarianโs room where they demanded cash before force-marching him to the priestโs bedroom.
โThe accused persons then proceeded to another spare bedroom where they found a male adult aged 32 years sleeping, they also threatened him and force marched him to the complainantโs bedroom. The accused persons used a pair of handcuffs which they had to cuff together and instructed the two to sit down, they then drove away leaving them cuffed. A police report was made.โ
She said at House of Liberty Christian Church, they found a female adult sleeping.
โThe complainant, a female adult aged 40 was asleep in her bedroom at a church house when she was awakened by a noise at the main door. She proceeded there to check what was happening and she met the three accused persons who were already inside the house. They were armed with a machete, iron bar and a kitchen knife which they took inside the house. They assaulted her with a fist on the face threatening to kill her and went on to demand cash from her.,โ she said.
โThe accused persons force marched the complainant back into her bedroom andย ransackedย the house. They took awayย US$150 which was inside theย monarchย suitcase and various clothing.ย They proceeded to the main church and forciblyย openedย the door usingย an unknownย object and took away a yellow generator and black amplifier and went away.ย A police report was made, and the total value of stolen property costย US$800.โย
Asst Inspector Msebele urged churches to guard their premises, not to keep large sums of money, use cash box facility offered by reputable security companies also not publicly announce the daily taking during services.