By Crime and Courts Reporter-Police in Mount Darwin have stopped a US$700 00.00 money heist in what was first believed to be a high-stakes, Hollywood-style bank robbery, confirming that all the stolen money and gold were recovered, and no loot left the scene.

The incident, which occurred on 26 June, sparked widespread speculation and excitement on social media after the Zimbabwe Republic Police reported that armed suspects had broken into a local bank in Mt Darwin. Reports claimed the robbers had overpowered a security guard, blasted open a safe, and made off with US$700,000 and 2.4kg of gold.

But in a surprising twist, police have now clarified that the criminals never made it far.

“Following further investigations, the case is now being treated as an attempted robbery, as all the cash and gold have since been recovered,” police said in a statement.

Although full details have not yet been released, police confirmed that the stolen assets were safely returned to the bank’s vault, and no losses were incurred. What began as an apparent successful heist ended with the robbers leaving empty-handed.

The suspects are reportedly in custody, though authorities have not yet revealed how close they came to escaping or how the loot was recovered so swiftly.

For now, the so-called Mt Darwin bank robbery has officially joined the list of Zimbabwe’s most dramatic — but ultimately failed — criminal attempts. Police have promised to release further updates as investigations continue.