22 Fugitives To Be Extradited Back To Zimbabwe

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) says 22 fugitives are set to be extradited to Zimbabwe from South Africa, Botswana, Portugal, and the UAE.

The suspects, who face charges ranging from fraud to armed robbery, fled the country after skipping bail while on remand.

They were eventually tracked down and arrested with the assistance of Interpol after Zimbabwe issued Red Notices against them.

CID spokesperson Detective Inspector Rachel Muteweri confirmed the extraditions. She said:

“So far we have a total of 22 suspected criminals who will be extradited back into the country to face various charges. The due processes of the law are now taking effect for the suspects’ extradition to Zimbabwe.”

Among the high-profile cases is the infamous US$4 million Ecobank armed robbery that rocked Bulawayo in October 2024.

Brothers Abraham and Elijah Temayi Vumbunu, together with their alleged accomplice, Bhekani Mlilo, were arrested in South Africa and Botswana in connection with the heist and are currently awaiting extradition.

The daring robbery, which targeted a cash-in-transit operation, was one of the biggest in recent years and exposed serious security gaps within the banking sector.

Another case involves fugitive Shepherd Chibaya, who was recently arrested in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, before being flown back to Harare on Monday.

Chibaya allegedly defrauded three people of more than US$105,000 in the aftermath of the 2021 Bevern Capital Ponzi scheme. In that scam, scores of people were lured into depositing money with promises of a 50 per cent return within six weeks.

When the scheme collapsed, victims were left desperate to recover their savings.

Police say Chibaya exploited the situation by pretending to be a fellow victim and even positioning himself as the leader of a victims’ group.

In another case, Tawanda Hairwadzi was arrested in Portugal last month after evading authorities for nearly four years.

Hairwadzi and his wife ran Eptha Energy, a transport company contracted by Addax Energy in 2021 to deliver two million litres of fuel to a Government ministry.

More than a million litres of the consignment, valued at US$743 600, never reached the intended destination.

Investigations revealed that the company had shut down and Hairwadzi had gone into hiding.

More: The Herald