BULAWAYO – A man shot and killed during a robbery in Bulawayo’s Nkulumane suburb last month was a South African national who is believed to have travelled 1,000km to commit the crime, police said Sunday.

Police believe Victor Mkhudi, whose body has been claimed by relatives and repatriated to South Africa, became aware of a house sale that was to happen in Bulawayo and hatched a plan with two others to rob the seller once he received payment.

Mkhudi would die after the panicked seller, Takawira Nhomboka, fired a volley of gunshots one of which caught the robber on the back of the neck.

Nhomboka spoke on Sunday for the first time about how he came across the would-be robbers just after 10PM as he returned home. Hours earlier, he had sold his home to a woman who lives in South Africa in a cash transaction – but he had left the money at a different location for safe-keeping.

He suspects the house buyer was followed from South Africa, or she had discussed her plans with an individual who in turn leaked details of the transaction to the gang.

“I left the money somewhere for safe-keeping and went home. I only had US$400 and about $150 bond notes on me,” he told The Sunday News.

“Our road is very quiet and there’re no people that walk around at that time of the night. As I was approaching the house, I saw three men milling about. Something was just off about them.

“I phoned my wife and asked her to open the gate, hoping to make a brisk entry. As I approached the house, the robbers began walking at pace towards the gate. That’s when I became really suspicious and pulled out my gun and fired a warning shot into the air.

“They ran towards the gate and I carried on firing, now in their direction.”

He said after he ran out of ammunition, he abandoned the car and hid. The gang then hijacked his car and drove off.

“The police had already been notified when the gunshots were being fired. When they arrived and when we did our investigations, we discovered that I had shot one of the robbers in the back of the neck and he died on the spot,” said Nhomboka.

His vehicle was found dumped in Rangemore and stripped of the upholstery.

“They had stripped the vehicle in search of the money, but they didn’t find it. All they took was the US$400 in the car and left my phones and everything else,” he said.

Inspector Precious Simango of Bulawayo police confirmed that the body of the South African had been returned home.

“An investigation is still in progress,” she said.