Armed robber Taj Abdul freed by the High Court

Daniel Kachere

Notorious armed robber, Musa Taj Abdul, was yesterday granted Z$5 000 bail by High Court judge Justice Banjamin Chikowero, Nhau has learnt.
Musa was asked to reside at his given address, report every Friday at Sunningdale 2 police station and not to interfere with any witnesses until the matter is finalised.
Two of his accomplices, Godfrey Mupamhanga and Rudolf Tapiwa Kanhanga, were ordered to part with Z$5000 and Z$2 000, respectively, for their freedom.
This follows their arrest in Beitbridge together with five others including Liberty Mupamhanga, Charles Lundu, Prince Makodza, Tapiwa Mangoma alias Tapa and Innocent Jairosi in August this year.
Abdul is alleged to have masterminded a spate of criminal activities including armed robberies throughout the country.
He allegedly has a history of escaping gunfire exchange with the police and evading arrests.

Notable Alleged Heists

• In March this year, Abdul, allegedly escaped a shoot-out with police along Glenara Avenue in Harare. Five robbers died in the shootout with two of them being South Africans.
• The armed robbery which occurred on December 20 last year at Wessel Shop in Msasa, Harare, where his gang disarmed a security guard and stole a special Amadeo Rossi revolver, $160 000 and an Isuzu KB240 single cab vehicle.
• In February this year, the gang allegedly went to Makoni Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza armed with pistols and an AK47 rifle where they robbed unsuspecting complainants of US$19 000, $30 000, cellphones and a Toyota Allion vehicle, which was later found abandoned in Glen View.
• The same month on the 26th, they purportedly robbed another person in Harare of US$40 000, jewelry, several pairs of shoes, a laptop, cellphones, a star pistol, and a Hyundai vehicle.
• The gang supposedly proceeded to the victim’s workplace and robbed him of US$227 250 and R28 000 with only US$10 000 being recovered by the police.
• On July 24 the gang reportedly attacked 40 Longford Street in Queensdale, Harare, arriving in separate vehicles. They removed precast wall panels to enter the stand and then, masked and armed with a shotgun and a pistol, forced open the lounge door with an iron bar and allegedly confronted the complainant’s brother-in-law who was seated in the lounge.
• They allegedly stole US$1 473 from the wife’s handbag and 5 cellphones, handbags, eye glasses, power banks, face masks and valuables. The total value of the stolen goods was US$7 516. Nhau/Indaba