BOLD THIEVES STRIKE AT DALLAS HILLS, 12 COPPER PLATES VANISH INTO THIN AIR
……..Truck ambushed like a movie scene, driver left baffled
In a daring heist that feels like something straight out of an action movie with a Zambian kopala soundtrack- Ndimupindo, suspected criminals pounced on a moving truck and vanished with 12 copper cathode plates worth a still-undisclosed fortune.
The incident unfolded in the early hours of May 15, 2025, at about 05:30 hours in the usually quiet Dallas Hills area of Chikankata District, Southern Province.
According to police reports from Chikankata Police Station, the copper plates were on a north-to-south journey aboard a white Sino truck (horse: BCF 2751 ZM, trailer: BCD 2922 ZM) owned by Zamland Company of Ndola. The driver, 35-year-old Mr. Silvester Bwalya of Pamodzi Compound, Ndola, was left stunned when he discovered that unknown individuals had cut open the tarpaulin and ratchet securing the trailer without even making a sound.
“These bandits didn’t even wake the driver,” muttered one roadside vendor from the area. “Ati ba ninjas or what? How do you remove 12 plates of copper silently? That’s not theft, it’s talent!”
The driver, who must have been either in a deep sleep or in full cruise mode, only realized what had happened once he was well past the scene of the crime. “The truck was still intact just minus the money-makers,” he reportedly told the police.
The stolen copper cathodes each weighing around 100kg are not exactly easy to carry or hide, which has left both police and the public scratching their heads. “Unless they had a forklift hiding in the bush, awe sure, this one is a Hollywood job,” quipped another local.
Deputy Commanding Officer for Southern Province, Moono F. Namalongo, confirmed the incident in a statement, adding that no arrests have been made so far, and none of the stolen goods have been recovered.
Meanwhile, Chikankata residents have been advised to report any suspicious movements of scrap dealers suddenly driving fancy cars or wearing designer boots “because copper doesn’t just disappear like nshima in a bachelor’s pot.”
Police investigations are ongoing, and authorities have vowed to leave no stone unturned. Or as one officer put it off the record: “Even the stones that don’t want to be turned, we will turn them. Ba kateka batufwila ama resources twalapepesha nomba.”
May 16, 2025
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Pictures for illustration purposes only