By A Correspondent- One of the country’s most wanted serial armed robbers who survived a shoot-out with police along Glenara Avenue South in Harare, in which five of his accomplices were killed in March last year has been arrested in Glen View 1 suburb.
Maxwell Stanley alias Dennis Mateta (25) was one of two men who were arrested after the shoot-out and hauled before the Harare Magistrates Court facing nine armed robbery charges. Mateta who has been out on bail was believed to have been committing a spate of armed robberies in and around the city.
His luck ran out on Tuesday when he was tracked down by a team of detectives from the CID Homicide who managed to arrest him in Glen View 1 where he was hiding at his girlfriend’s house.
He was shot and seriously injured on both legs after he resisted arrest and attempted to flee from the detectives. Mateta is currently admitted to a local hospital under police guard and is expected to appear in court today .
In March, five armed robbers were killed in a shoot-out with police along Glenara Avenue South in Harare, while three others were captured alive but the gang leader, Taj Abdul (alias Musa Mahommed or Kedha), made good his escape.
Abdul who was later arrested in August following another shoot-out in Beitbridge, was initially reported to be among the five dead robbers, but it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
The three dead Zimbabweans were identified as Dennis Stanley Dube alias Dingola (29), Taurai Chitepo (36) and another only identified as Johnson.
Three survivors of the shoot-out — Godfrey Mupamhanga (27), Prince Zakeo (25) and Maxwell Stanley alias Dennis Mateta (25) — were arrested on nine counts of armed robbery. Police by then believed the gang was based in South Africa, crossing the border to conduct its raids.
On February 5 last year, it is alleged the gang went to Makoni Shopping Centre, Chitungwiza, armed with pistols, an AK47 rifle and robbed unsuspecting complainants of US$19 000, $30 000, cellphones and a Toyota Allion vehicle, which was later found abandoned in Glen View.
It is also alleged on February 26, the gang robbed another person in Harare of US$40 000, jewellery, several pairs of shoes, a laptop, cellphones, a Star pistol and Hyundai vehicle. The gang proceeded to the victim’s workplace and robbed him of US$227 250 and R28 000.
At the scene of the shoot-out, police recovered a 9mm CZ pistol, a Star pistol, Bruno pistol, .38 special Amadeo Rossi revolver, FN Browning pistol, 20x9mm rounds of ammunition and 4×7.65mm live rounds.
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