6 NABBED IN CONNECTION WITH STOLEN COPPER CATHODES IN NDOLA
By Nonhlanhla Phuti/Tellah Hazinji
Police on the Copperbelt have apprehended six suspects for staging a fake robbery in connection with the 32.9 tons of copper cathodes that was reported stolen last Friday at Michael Chilufya Sata toll plaza in Ndola.
Copperbelt Police Commander Peacewell Mweemba says the suspects were nabbed after they faked a report of aggravated robbery purporting that the named truck which they were in charge of was robbed at gunpoint by unknown criminals when in actual fact, they were the ones behind the robbery and that main driver had organized with other criminals to steal the copper cathode he was carrying.
Mr. Mweemba explains that brief facts of the matter are that Ndola Police District Anti-Robbery squad on Friday, 23rd June 2023 received information from a concerned member of public who reported that suspected activities of theft were taking place at a named garage in Ndola near Trade Fair grounds and that acting on the said information, the anti-robbery squad rushed to the place and found copper cathode kept in an incomplete building within the garage in readiness to be laden on a volvo tipper truck.
He says upon arrival, police officers found that some members of the public had already apprehended the driver identified as Mwiza Simwizye, 35 of Kalulushi who bought the contraband at the said garage who when briefly interviewed confirmed that he had taken over the truck Mitsubishi Fuso from Michael Chilufya Sata toll gate along Ndola Kitwe dual carriage way from unknown driver.
Mr Mweemba says according to the driver, Mwiza Simwizye was engaged to drive the truck by a male only identified as john of Kalulushi District and that under the instruction, the truck was driven from Michael Chilufya Sata toll gate to a named garage in Ndola were the copper cathode was offloaded and truck abandoned next to bridge shipping company located along Kabwe Road.
He says also impounded at the scene was a tipper truck operating under a company named Copart Trading and Construction which was being driven by a male identified Kelvin Kabonga of riverside in Kitwe who has disclosed to police that he was hired by mr john of Kalulushi to ferry the copper to a place he was going to be directed within Ndola.
Mr Mweemba says two other suspects also hired by mr john to offload the contraband in Ndola have been apprehended and that police have managed to establish the rightful owner of the copper belonging to Sico Mines of Democratic Republic of Congo.
Meanwhile, Mining expert Edward Simukonda says the stealing of a truck carrying copper calls for the re-introduction of armed escorts for safer movement of the high value goods.
Mr. Simukonda tells phoenix news that this unfortunate incident is an eye opener to the realization that truck drivers especially those carrying high value goods are at risk hence the need for armed escorts.
PHOENIX NEWS