|
5 nabbed over Dar bank heist
2006-02-22 08:05:50
By Lydia Shekighenda
The ongoing police crackdown on armed crime in the country turned dramatic when an MP’s photograph was found among the documents of one of the five suspects arrested on Monday night.
Police said they believed the suspect with the MP’s photo – a woman – is the one who commanded the gang that raided NBC Ubungo branch and made away with 122m/- early this month.
The woman, identified as Elistina Galus alias Rahma, was also in possession of a photograph of an accomplice, Ramadhan Abdulrahman alias Dodo, who was also arrested in the massive police dragnet.
Dar es Salaam Regional Police Commander Alfred Tibaigana told reporters yesterday that Abdulrahman and Rahma were arrested in Coast Region and Mbezi in Dar es Salaam respectively.
Tibaigana gave the name of other suspects as Jackson Mollel who was arrested in Mbezi, Dar es Salaam, and Mohammed Abass and Mbaruku Ally, both of whom were arrested in Zanzibar.
He said the police are trying to establish the link between the MP (name withheld) and Rahma and her accomplices.
’We are still investigating to know the connection between the MP and the two suspects, who ideally, are strange bedfellows,’ said Tibaigana.
According to the RPC, when the police searched the residence of Abdulrahman, several vehicle number plates were recovered.
He said the plates bore the registration of vehicles that had been reported missing through carjacking.
Tibaigana said that so far, of the five suspects, none had unusual amount of money that could raise eyebrows. They will appear in court today.
On February 3, a daring gang of armed robbers raided NBC bank at Ubungo at 9am that stunned eyewitnesses and customers. The gang was under the command of a woman who was wielding a submachine gun and clad in long robes.
Last week police in Zanzibar discovered a robbers’ den at Chokaani in South Pemba Region that was stocked with guns and other equipment used in robberies.
During the operation the law enforcers also recovered steel bars and women baibui the thugs use during robberies.
|
