
Police in Lusaka have apprehended a man and two women who are believed to be wives of some suspected fugitive criminals.
Police Service spokesperson Bonny Kapeso said the trio was arrested in Ngwerere township following a security operation conducted in the area on Wednesday.
He said the police have in the past four days been conducting security operations in different townships, which include Chibolya and Kaunda Square.
He said this follows five dangerous criminals who have in the past few days been terrorising Lusaka residents stealing motor vehicles.
Mr Kapeso said four vehicles and six firearms were recovered in the operation.
Mr Kapeso said this after Lusaka division commanding officer Greenwell Ng’uni displayed the recovered items at Lusaka Central Police Station yesterday.
He said the vehicles include three Toyota Corollas and Hilux, four AK 47 assault rifles and a pistol with 76 rounds of ammunition.
Mr Kapeso said the Toyota Hilux was snatched from Olympia Park on Wednesday night.
He said the vehicle was recovered on the Great North Road after the owner alerted Netstar tracking system company who worked with police in tracing the vehicle.
“This is a team of dangerous criminals who have been conducting operations in Lusaka in the past few days and we suspect one of the criminals was wounded during the exchange of fire,” Mr Kapeso said.
He said the police have launched a manhunt for the four other suspects and that the service will not relent in its efforts to have the criminals arrested.
“As you know, we have in custody the two women to help us with information leading to the arrest of the rest of the criminals. So my appeal to members of the public is let them come forward and assist us with information which will help in bringing the suspects to book,” Mr Kapeso said.
He appealed to members of the public in possession of military weapons to surrender them to police through the amnesty programme.
Mr Kapeso said a number of firearms used by criminals are suspected to be acquired from unsuspecting members of the public.
“Let those who have firearms surrender them to the police through the amnesty programme as it still stands and the offer is still at K1 million.
Most of these guns used by the criminals are private because all our guns have serial numbers,” he said.
And the Inspector General of police, Francis Kabonde, has appealed to police officers to remain calm as Government processes June salaries.
Mr Kapeso said the police high command is concerned about the delayed release of salaries for June.
He said the delay in the release of June salaries has been attributed to anomalies in some pay slips.
Mr Kapeso said the high command is doing everything possible to ensure the anomalies are corrected as soon as possible.
“As you know the machine which prepares pay slips for the civil service had some problems and so there are some anomalies on certain pay slips,” he said.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]