By Patience Gondo
A Beitbridge woman must be thanking her Gods after armed robbers violently seized her car but failed to drive it off and dumped it at the scene at Tshitaudze Shopping Centre on Monday night.
The woman was closing her shop for the day at around 8pm when the three pounced on her as she opened her car.
Forcibly, they took her car keys after her futile attempt to run away with her keys taken from her after a shot was fired before they jumped on the car to drive off.
But starting the car is a journey they failed to travel.
Supritendent Philisani Ndebele who is the acting officer in charge of the Beitbridge Police District confirmed the incident.
He said at around 2000 hours as the female complainant, who operates a grocery shop at the business centre, was closing for the day the three arrived.
The woman had just opened the driver’s door of her Toyota GD6 2.8 when she was confronted by three suspects, one of whom was armed with a pistol-sized firearm, he said.
The suspects demanded her car keys, but she initially resisted, prompting one of them to fire a warning shot on the ground.
She attempted to flee, but the attackers pursued and caught up with her.
Another shot was fired into the ground before the suspects forcibly took her keys and ordered her into submission.
The trio then jumped into the vehicle and attempted to drive off.
In an unexpected turn of events, they failed to start or move the Toyota GD6.
The suspects abandoned the vehicle shortly afterwards and fled into the darkness on foot.
Police attended the scene and have since launched investigations into the incident.
“We are appealing for information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects, while urging members of the public to remain alert and report suspicious activity,” Ndebele said.