A 13-year-old Bulawayo girl asked a bus crew to carry eight sticks of explosive hidden in a bucket full of wild fruit to South Africa on Saturday, disappearing when the crew wanting to know the contents of the bucket opened it and found the explosives under the fruits.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police in Bulawayo were now investigating.
“An unknown female juvenile approximately aged 13 tried to send an unlabelled parcel to an unknown recipient in South Africa on June 26, 2021.
“The Bus crew became suspicious and opened the parcel before discovering that the bucket had eight explosives and 12 explosive fuses which were covered by Nyii fruits. The crew tried to question the juvenile who stated that she had been sent by her landlord and disappeared before her particulars were recorded,” he said.
Police were keen to question the girl to ascertain the origin of the explosives.
The public has been warned that they risk being arrested and prosecuted under the ongoing operation to curb smuggling if they break the law.
So far, 30 387 suspects have been arrested under operation ‘No to Cross Border Crimes according to Nyathi.
In a statement, the national police spokesperson said on Saturday police in Plumtree arrested three suspects for smuggling and recovered television sets and other electrical gadgets.
“The ZRP warns members of the public against using undesignated points when entering or exiting the country.
“On June 26, 2021, police in Plumtree arrested three suspects for smuggling and recovered six 43 inches LED Television sets, 26 Waxiba radios, 15 Bluetooth box speakers, 50 liters diesel, and items of clothing at Nxele illegal crossing point,” he said.
He warned smugglers that security agents were on high alert to thwart such activities countrywide.
Last week, three suspects were intercepted in Mutare and police recovered 10 bales of second-hand clothes that were stashed in their getaway vehicle, a Honda Fit.
Investigations revealed that the three had smuggled the clothes from Mozambique through illegal entry points.
They were arrested following a tip-off and police managed to intercept them while they were in Mutare.
