Anti-robbery squad gun down 4 notorious criminals in Kitwe

THE police anti-robbery squad in Kitwe have gunned down four suspected notorious criminals who have been behind a spate of aggravated robberies in filing stations from October 2023 and January 2024 and have recovered an AK 47 assault rifle, with eight rounds of live ammunition and a lap top which was stolen from a filling station among other items.

Copperbelt Police Commissioner Peacewell Mweemba said the four, including a woman of Wusakile Township, were gunned down when one of their colleagues identified as Paul Mwanza, who was leading the anti-robbery squad to where he had hidden the firearm in Kawama township started firing at the officers.

But Mr Mweemba said the officers opened fire at him and in the process, the other three scampered which forced officer to gun down all of them.

Mr Mweemba said the four bodies have since been deposited in the Kitwe Teaching Hospital and that among the items recovered from the suspects were one AK 47 assault rifle with eight rounds of live ammunition.

Recovered too was an Acer laptop, which was stolen at the filling station, four different phones, three masks blue and black in colour, two Motorola radios, a motor vehicle VVTI registration number ACP 6909 which was used in the robbery and was parked at Kitwe Central Police Station.

He said the gunning down of the criminals was after investigations which traced one of the phones which was stolen and was discovered that it was being used by a certain woman by the names of Margaret Mwanza of Wusakile Township.

He said the four who were gunned were suspected to have been behind the aggravated robbery reported at Mindolo Police station in which the anti-robbery team of Kitwe were investigating which occurred on January 3, 2024 at around 02.00 hours at Kawama TotalEnergies filling station where two fuel attendants and one security guard were attacked and K120, 170.00 was stolen among other items.