POLICE RECOVER STOLEN COPPER CATHODES IN NDOLA

The Ndola District Police Headquarters’ Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Anti-Robbery Squad intercepted a suspected case of theft of goods in transit on June 25, 2023, as reported by a concerned member of the public.

Copperbelt Commanding Officer, Peacewell Mweemba, confirmed the development stating that the incident unfolded around 9:30 AM at a garage located opposite the Ndola Trade Fair Grounds.

And acting on the received information, officers from the Anti-Robbery Squad promptly arrived at the scene where they discovered a cache of copper cathodes stored in an incomplete building within the garage, seemingly prepared for loading onto a Volvo tipper truck.

Mr Mweemba adds that preliminary investigations revealed that the driver responsible for transporting the contraband had already been apprehended by vigilant members of the public.

Mr Mweemba says the driver has been identified as Mwiza Simwizye, aged 35, of Kalulushi district, who has confessed to driving the Mitsubishi Fuso truck. He stated that he took over the vehicle from an unidentified driver at the Michael Chilufya Sata Toll Gate along the Kitwe-Ndola dual carriageway.

He adds that Simwizye further disclosed that he had been contracted by an individual known only as John, also from Kalulushi district, to transport the copper cathodes to the garage opposite the trade fair.

Mr Mweemba reveals that authorities have apprehended Kelvin Kabonga, aged 34, who was driving a Dongfeng tipper truck and claims that he had been hired by the same person, John, to transport the copper cathodes to an undisclosed location within Ndola.

He further discloses that the investigation also led to the arrest of two other individuals, Patrick Mwale, aged 29, from Magam area in Kalulushi, and Peter Silungwe, aged 28, from Jvc compound in Kalulushi. Both Mwale and Silungwe were allegedly hired by John to assist in offloading the stolen goods in Ndola.

The Commanding officer has also revealed that during the operation, twelve bags of suspected cobalt concentrate was discovered at the same garage, which are believed to have been stolen.

He adds that the garage belongs to Ackson Simwizye, a resident of Luangwa township in Kitwe district, who had rented it out to Prosper Chishimba, a Ndola resident conducting business under the name Chepros. However, Chishimba’s current whereabouts remain unknown.

Efforts to trace the ownership of the copper cathodes led the police to establish a connection with Sico Mines, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the director identified as Mr. Luo. The loading of the recovered copper cathode plates is currently underway, and the exact quantity will be reported once the process is completed.

Meanwhile, Mr Mweemba says police are still seeking information on the whereabouts of the driver responsible for transporting the goods from the DRC.

The Commanding officer has since stated that investigations are ongoing to bring all culprits to justice, and, in collaboration with the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), the police intend to establish ownership of the Mitsubishi Fuso truck, which may aid in identifying the driver involved.