Tinotenda Hove – Regional law-enforcement agencies have stepped up cross-border cooperation after the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed that the brazen US$4 million Ecobank robbery in Bulawayo was orchestrated from within the security system itself. Authorities are now pushing to bring two prime suspects back from South Africa as the net closes around the syndicate.

The daring October heist — one of the biggest cash robberies in recent memory — unfolded when armed attackers intercepted a security company vehicle at an Ecobank branch and sped off with metal cash boxes in a white Ford Ranger. CCTV footage showing the gang’s swift escape triggered an international chase.

ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi revealed that the alleged ringleaders, the Vumbunu brothers, have been arrested in South Africa, and extradition arrangements are in progress.

“We already have Bhekani Mlilo, who was extradited from Botswana on November 19 and is now in custody. Efforts are now focused on securing the return of the notorious Vumbunu brothers,” Commissioner Nyathi said.

He further disclosed that detectives have established clear evidence of internal collaboration.

“We now know with certainty that it was an inside job. The robbers were working with a security guard from the company. Most of these high-profile robberies have an element of an inside job,” he said.

The breakthrough has eased tension in Bulawayo, where residents were left shaken by the scale and speed of the robbery. The attackers subdued guards and disappeared with the cash in a matter of moments — actions that raised immediate suspicion of insider involvement.