A 30-year-old man has been arrested in Karoi on allegations of attempting to rob a shopkeeper with a toy gun on Monday.

“The shopkeeper had closed for the day when Tapiwa Mubondi allegedly persuaded her to open the shop on the pretext that he wanted to buy some tissues.

“While in the shop, Mubondi produced the toy gun after donning a balaclava and demanded cash.

“The shopkeeper alerted her husband who was outside and they called for help, resulting in Mubondi being apprehended by the public. The police were called, Mubondi was formally arrested and turned over by the public-spirited people who had grabbed him.

“The toy gun was handed over as evidence,” national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.