State Media

A 30-year-old foreign currency dealer lost US$70 000 to armed robbers who blocked his Mercedes Benz E300 while he was on his way to Harare from a Norton farm where he had collected the cash.

The armed robbers, in an unregistered black BMW, blocked the road and demanded the cash at gunpoint.

No arrests have been made and police are still investigating the matter.

National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, said people should not travel with or keep large sums of cash.

Another gang of four armed robbers raided a house in Beitbridge last Friday night and robbed a family of a Honda Fit, R10 000 in cash, four cellphones, a laptop, and seven pairs of shoes. The vehicle was found dumped a few metres from the homestead.

Police said the robbers were armed and fired shots into the air to frighten the victims during the robbery.

In another case, a Harare man lost US$2 000 after he was lured to Hwange by three robbers who had duped him into believing that they were selling a Toyota Hiace minibus.

The victim became acquainted with the perpetrators through social media. He was then lured to Hwange where he lost the cash.

Many people have lost large sums of cash in the last few months to either armed robbers or to thieves that have been breaking into homes or parked vehicles.