Own Correspondent
TWO suspects believed to be part of a gang that allegedly killed a policeman last Saturday and seriously injured his colleague at Good Hope Mine in Battlefields have been arrested.
Police say they will now not hesitate to shoot anyone who attempts to disarm officers on duty. The arrest comes as 17 gold panners, including one person who is on police’s most wanted list, were arrested in Kadoma yesterday. Also, a man drowned in a river in Battlefields yesterday and police suspect that he could have been fleeing arrest. In Mt Darwin, police on Monday arrested eight men and recovered four machetes and four Okapi knives stashed in the boot of a Toyota Wish they were travelling in.
The group is suspected to have been behind a spate of murder and robbery cases in Mashonaland Central Province. The 17 suspects arrested in Kadoma are reported to be members of the gang known as “Team Barca”, formerly led by Taurai Mutandwa who was shot dead during the David Whitehead gold rush in Chegutu.
“Meanwhile, all those engaged in illegal mining activities should stop doing so and ensure that before they mine, they obtain the relevant licence or permit to do so in terms of the laws of this country. Any deviation from this will result in such miners being arrested.