Daylight robbery throws Kabwe town centre into turmoil

KABWE town centre was yesterday thrown into turmoil when four armed men staged a daylight robbery in which they got away with K100,000 cash.
The masked men armed with two shotguns and an axe caused panic as they fired in the air, and sent onlookers and a police officer on foot patrol scampering for safety.
The unarmed police officer took cover behind a motor vehicle as the attackers shot in the air to scare away the onlookers.
The incident happened shortly after 11:00 hours as a local business executive from Big Bite Bus Station was taking the money to a local bank.
Central Province Commissioner of Police Standwell Lungu confirmed the incident and said police had launched investigations into the matter.
The attackers, who were driving an unregistered Toyota Sprinter, blocked the business executive’s car in front and ordered the occupants to lie on the ground and surrender the money.
The driver of the Caravan, registration number ACP 7477, who resisted orders to surrender the money, was viciously attacked by one of the gunmen who hit him on his mouth with a shotgun butt.
He sustained broken teeth and cuts on his lips.
“I am confused, I really don’t  know  what  happened  because  all I saw  was a  car in front of my vehicle and later the attackers wearing masks came out and ordered us to lie on the ground while demanding to be  given money. One one of them hit me on my mouth,” said the driver who refused to be named.
But when asked how much money had been stolen, he said it was from the weekend sales and referred  queries to his workmate.
The workmate who also preferred anonymity said about K100,000 had been stolen from them.
The attackers also got away with the keys for the Caravan
A newspaper vendor, who only identified himself as Lewis, said he feared for his  life  and ran away, abandoning his merchandise.
A woman travelling to Lusaka narrated how she crawled to a nearby public lavatory for safety and found many other people hiding after the gunshots.
Some taxi drivers fled from the taxi rank and hid behind the Zambia State Insurance Corporation building, as business briefly came to a standstill at the normally busy bus station following the commotion.

Times of Zambia