HARARE – Six of the 12 armed robbery suspects arrested recently for robbing Quest Financial Services in Harare of over US$700,000 have been further detained by police awaiting their initial remand.

They are Washington Mangwanda, 21, Brighton Chikuwa, 27, Silence Matambo, 27, Liberty Mukangaise, 31, Richard Marondera, 25, and Luke Zinyengere, 28.

The gang briefly appeared before Harare magistrate Donald Ndirowei on Wednesday with the state applying for a warrant of further detention.

Anesu Chirenje representing the National Prosecuting Authority said the police needed to take the six for indications.

The court was also told that the police were still trying to recover money and goods bought from crime proceeds.

They will be back in court on March 1 for their initial remand.

The gang allegedly robbed the financial services company situated along Rochester Road in Belgravia at around 1.30AM on Sunday.

The company was operating a money transfer service and bureau de change out of a residential property converted into business premises.

The company has other branches in central Harare and in major cities.

According to police preliminary investigations, there was a leak of information from insiders to the criminals.

The robbers, armed with at least two guns, bolt cutters, drilling machines and explosives, scaled a perimeter fence and broke into the house where a 47-year-old gardener was sleeping in a backroom.

They tied his hands and feet before rummaging through the offices.

They stole two cash boxes and three HP laptops before blowing up a safe and stealing all the money inside which they loaded into a plastic bag.

The blasting alerted neighbours who called Safe Guard, the security company used by Quest.

As the guards parked in front of the building, said police, the gang used a back exit and broke down perimeter wall panels before fleeing.

The security guards found US$5,000 which was dropped by the fleeing armed robbers.

It was discovered that one of the three safes had been blown open.

Explosives had been planted on a second safe which were not detonated, it is believed because of the arrival of the responding security guards.

A manager told police that Quest had received US$400,000 on Friday, February 23, from their bankers, Capital Bank for onward distribution to the company’s clients.

Police sources told ZimLive that close to US$100,000 in cash has been recovered.