Gold worth about $1 million has disappeared from the armoury of a Zimbabwean police station.
The theft, which happened at Plumtree Police Station in Matabeleland South is arguably the biggest theft at a police station in the country, reports Zimbabwe’s Chronicle.
The gold weighing 28,5kg has been kept at the station since September 2015 as an exhibit, after Border Control and Minerals Unit police officers seized it at Plumtree Border Post from a man who had tried to smuggle it into Botswana.
Sources at the station said the total value of the stolen gold is $970 000 and nothing was recovered.
The unknown suspect tore the khaki paper in which the gold was wrapped and stole all of it leaving the papers in a bucket in the armoury.
The theft was discovered on Wednesday at around 11am by officers who were on duty.
Sources at the police station said the theft came to light as police officers were searching for two missing rifles that had been booked in the charge office.
When an officer went to check at the armoury for the missing rifles, he was surprised to find the armoury door not locked.
“When he proceeded to the armoury intending to open the armoury, he observed that there was a key inserted in the keyhole of the armoury door.”
One of the officers who had knowledge about the gold kept in the armoury as an exhibit proceeded to the bucket where the alleged gold weighing 28,5297kg was kept wrapped in a khaki paper. He only found the khaki wrappers but the gold was missing.
Investigations are underway to discover who stole the gold.
Contacted for comment yesterday, national chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said she was checking on the matter.
Source: Punch
