Robbers kill Huye Sacco guard, flee with Rwf10.6 m

POLICE IN HUYE District, Southern Province, is looking for unidentified robbers who broke into the offices of Umwarimu Savings and Credit Cooperative (Umwarimu Sacco) in the urban Ngoma Sector, killing its guard and fleeing with over Rwf10.6 million in cash.The incident occurred on Saturday night.Shocked witnesses described a gruesome murder of Jean Bosco Kabandana, a member of local defence forces (LDF), who was found dead on Sunday. His hands and legs were bound together with sticky tape. His face was also wrapped by the tapes.He is survived with a wife and two children.According to the witnesses, Kabandana might have been strangled to death by the assailants, who also disconnected power to the bank, smashed a window before breaking the safe box where the money was being kept.Officials at the Sacco said the money had been left at the facility because the office opens on Sunday-a day many of the other commercial banks in the town do not operate.The robbery remains a mystery as Police are yet to apprehend any suspect in relation to the incident.By press time, the Police had cordoned off the SACCO offices. No suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident. The Southern Region Police Spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Hubert Gashagaza told The New Times that Police has dispatched a team of investigators and forensic experts to help in the efforts to identify and possibly arrest anyone involved in the robbery.Assurance “We will not rest until the culprits are apprehended,” Gashagaza said.CSP Gashagaza called on financial institutions to put up measures to ensure the safety of clients’ money.Guards at such facilities should at least be equipped with guns and work in teams to guarantee their safety, Gashagaza said.Kabandana was working alone when the incident occurred, sources said. “It is a responsibility of these [financial] institutions to take appropriate measures to ensure that their staff are safe. You can’t protect a bank with a stick,” Gashagaza said.“Of course the Police [and other security organs] are there to guarantee people’s safety and protect their properties. But the first responsibility falls up on the institution. They are doing businesses and they should make sure that all is done to protect people’s money..When The New Times visited the area dozens of concerned teachers, who had come to withdraw their money, were left stunned after learning of the incident.Some of them, who were discussing in small groups, could not hide their concerns over safety of their money.

National

Robbers kill Huye Sacco guard, flee with Rwf10.6 m