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Sharon Chiware, Midlands Reporter
MASKED armed robbers struck at Gweru’s Spar Supermarket where they tied the hands and feet of a security guard before they broke into the shop around midnight on Sunday.

The robbers failed to open a safe in the supermarket and only got away with bottles of alcoholic beverages and the security guard’s mobile phone.

They covered the security guard’s head with a sack after threatening to shoot him with a pistol and left him tied up for about six hours before he was rescued.

Spar Supermarket Gweru branch manager, Mr Chrispen Thomu, said it was not known how many robbers carried out the raid.

He said the armed robbers entered the supermarket through the back door and went on to cut through the roof to gain entrance to the safe room.

“I can confirm a case of unlawful entry and theft that occurred at Spar Supermarket in Gweru. Investigations are still in process,” said Mr Thomu.

He said the gang blinded the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras as they moved around the store.

“The security guard who was on duty was attacked by the armed robbers. His hands and feet were tied and his phone was confiscated. We discovered the incident this morning (yesterday) when we reported for work. We found the guard tied up and alcoholic beverages missing,” said Mr Thomu, who added the shop was in the process of ascertaining the quantities of alcohol stolen.

Mr Thomu said even if they had opened the safe, the robbers would have walked away empty handed as the supermarket doesn’t keep large sums of cash.

“As business people I think it’s wise for us not to keep our money on our business premises. This also is a warning to us that we should put tight security so that we do not end up being targets for robbers,” he said.

At the supermarket, a Chronicle news crew witnessed shop employees compiling a quotation to fix the roof which the robbers destroyed to gain entry.

Efforts to get a comment from Midlands acting provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende were fruitless as she was said to be out of office. The robbery is the third to be recorded in Gweru and Shurugwi in as many days.

In the other two incidents, masked armed robbers hit Gweru and Shurugwi, making off with over $8 000 in cash, a VW Golf vehicle and two files.

@sharonchiware1