Employee stages fuel station robbery
IN a daring robbery, an employee of Trek in Gwabalanda suburb put together a team of would-be fuel thieves to steal thousands of litres of diesel and petrol and when the plan failed, stole US$4 500 before vanishing into thin air.
Davison Sibanda whose last known address is 24376 Pumula South suburb is wanted by police for questioning in connection with the alleged theft of US$4 500 and a failed plan to steal fuel from his employer.
He allegedly stole the money on Wednesday night, when he was supposed to clock in for duty but disappeared soon after.
The owners of the fuel station have since opened a case of theft at Luveve Police Station under case number 20/11/23.
B-Metro is in possession of a string of WhatsApp messages and audios extracted from Sibanda’s phone in which he was discussing with an alleged conspirator only identified as Mukanya how he wanted the diesel and petrol to be stolen from Trek in Gwabalanda suburb.
We will translate part of the conversation from IsiNdebele to English for the benefit of our readers.
“The deal must happen today (Wednesday) Mukanya, we will take the diesel and petrol straight from the pump and load it into huge containers. We must do the job tonight because tomorrow the owners of the garage will be back,” he is heard saying.
“It’s not as difficult as all we have to do is get to Trek and load the fuel from the pump. But it must happen tonight”.
The other individual sounds skeptical about the chances of the plan being successful and suggests that the date of the robbery be moved by a day or two.
Sibanda responds that delaying the plan won’t work and insists that they strike as planned, as soon as possible.
Cases of employees conniving with thieves to rob their employers are on the rise in Bulawayo.
Last month Bulawayo police spokesman Inspector Abdenico Ncube told B-Metro that most business robberies were increasingly becoming inside jobs where robbers are told the security layout of the premises and where cash is kept before it is deposited at the bank.
The owners of the fuel station are pleading with members of the public who may know the whereabouts of the alleged mastermind of the theft Sibanda to contact their nearest police station. B Metro
