Desperado … Taj Abdul Musa has several armed robbery cases hanging over his head
HARARE – A Harare court heard Friday how fierce armed robber, Musa Taj Abdul and other suspects pounced on the wife of a Harare businessman, eliciting a high-speed car chase by her husband.
Abdul, 50, is notorious for eluding police arrest for 20 years before he was finally apprehended at a Beitbridge hideout in 2020.
He has since been slapped with fresh criminal charges.
Abdul is already serving three years imprisonment following conviction for unlawful possession of firearms. He still has several more robbery charges pending before the courts.
In the latest case, he is jointly charged with his friend, Charles Lundu, also 50.
The pair, according to prosecutors, pounced on Harare businessman Malvern Chimutashu’s wife – ironically also a suspected fraudster – in 2019, and made off with US$5,200 during the incident.
Lundu is also serving three years for unlawful possession of firearms.
On Friday, the two appeared before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa and were remanded to September 6 this year.
The State is alleging that Abdul and Lundu, together with their accomplice, Kudzaishe Wilson Brian, held Chimutashu’s wife at gunpoint as she was returning home from work.
“As she was about to close her gate, the two accused persons who were in the company of Brian, confronted her whilst they were armed with firearms.
“They demanded cash from her, thereby robbing her of US$5,200 before escaping in their getaway motor vehicle.
“The complainant quickly advised her husband who immediately reacted and intercepted the accused persons.
“A high-speed chase ensued and the accused persons fired some shots in order to scare him away.
“The accused later dumped their motor vehicle at number 4 Dan Judson Road, Milton Park, Harare where the accused’s girlfriend Sasha resided before escaping,” reads court papers.
Abdul, who was one of the most wanted criminals in Zimbabwe, got arrested on 24 August 2020.
It is alleged he masterminded a spate of criminal activities across the country and was never caught.
His gang consists of Liberty Mupamhanga, Prince Makodza, Godfrey Mupamhanga, Lundu, Rudolf Kanhanga, Innocent Jairos among others.
The net closed in on them when they were being harboured by a police officer, Tapiwa Mangoma.
Following a tip-off, police launched a raid at Mangoma’s home in Beitbridge and also arrested the police officer in the process.
The gang has been linked to nine armed robbery cases with one of them occurring on December 20, 2019 at Wessel Shop in Msasa, Harare where they disarmed a security guard and stole a special Amadeo Rossi revolver, $160,000 and an Isuzu KB240 single cab vehicle.
The gang also allegedly went to Makoni Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza on February 5, 2020, armed with pistols, an AK47 rifle and robbed business owners of US$19,000, $30,000, cell phones and a Toyota Allion vehicle, which was later found abandoned in Glenview. ZimLive.com
