March 9 2024 – Yesterday the March 8, 2024, the Lusaka Division Scorpion Team responded to the growing concerns from the public regarding motor vehicle break-ins at shopping malls across Lusaka. The team, patrolling the Fox dale Mall area along Zambezi Road, encountered a suspicious purple Toyota Ractis with double number plates (AJE 2806 covering the original one) carrying four male occupants. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the occupants evaded the police. During the chase, another white Mark X, with an unknown number plate, sped away. The Scorpion Team prioritized pursuing the purple Ractis.
In the pursuit along Zambezi Road, officers fired several warning shots to halt the motor vehicle. The car eventually stopped near Ngwerere farms, and the occupants fled into a nearby farm. In the ensuing confrontation, four criminals were shot, and one, identified as Gift Musonda of Matero, a notorious individual on the list of most wanted criminals for offenses including Aggravated Robbery, theft from Motor Vehicles, and theft from persons, was among the fatally wounded. The identities of the other three deceased individuals, estimated to be aged between 20 and 30, are yet to be determined.
Upon searching the vehicle, the following items were recovered:
1. A green backpack with a pair of number plates (AFB 3281).
2. 2 empty bottles of benylin.
3. A packet of disposable medical face masks.
4. A sachet of suspected marijuana.
5. 2 screwdrivers.
6. A broken car key.
7. A black toy pistol.
8. 2 metal T-bars.
9. An iron bar.
10. One industrial cutter.
The injured criminals were immediately transported to the University Teaching Hospital, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival. The bodies have been deposited in the mortuary, awaiting identification, postmortem examinations, and subsequent burial arrangements.
The vehicle, used by the now-deceased criminals, has been secured and is currently parked at the Lusaka Division Headquarters. An inquiry file has been opened to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
This incident occurred on the March 8, 2024, between 11:00 hours and 12:30 hours, along Zambezi Road in the Ngwerere Farms Area.
Rae Hamoonga
POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER