4 criminals gunned down

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 17:46:47 +0000

By MOSES SINJWALA

POLICE have gunned down four criminals after an exchange of fire in Lusaka’s Kalundu area after thwarting a planned robbery

The incident happened on Tuesday when police ambushed the criminals as they were about to stage a robbery.

Police spokesperson Esther Mwata Katongo said police received a tip that a group of armed criminals were about to stage a robbery in Kalundu.

She said officers rushed to the area and spotted the silver Toyota  Spacio at the T-junction of Mulungushi road, and the bandits after noticing police presence started firing at the officers.  “Police gave chase and when they were catching up with them, the four criminals came out of the vehicle trying to escape but were caught up in the exchange of fire, while the other two with an AK47 riffle escaped using the same motor vehicle,” she said. She said an assortment of weapons was found at the scene include a pistol Crvena Zastava-cal, two black bags containing four masks, a machete, two hammers and a man-made crowbar.

 The bodies are lying in the UTH mortuary awaiting postmortem and identification.

Meanwhile, Ms Katongo revealed that police received a report of a murder which happened in the early hours of Tuesday in George compound at a makeshift store near George Central Primary School.

She said that the public reported finding the body of a woman in a makeshift store, and the body was later identified by relatives. “Police who visited the scene suspected that the deceased aged 28 was strangled and might have been raped. The body is also in UTH awaiting postmortem and investigations have been instituted in the matter,” she said.