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Kinyarwanda
At least six people have been arrested in Burera District after their attempt to rob a bank on Tuesday was foiled by security organs.
Police spokesperson for the Northern region, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana said that at about 1am on Tuesday, a group of eight men, who were traveling in the same vehicle RAB 120W Nissan pick-up, broke into a Bank Populaire branch located in Kabaya Village of Rusumo Cell in Butaro Sector.
“They were armed with iron bars, hammers and other steel objects, which they used to vandalize the window to get in, but they first tied the security guard with ropes,” said CIP Twizeyimana.
“While inside, they faced hardship in opening the safe, which contained over Rwf15 million they had targeted. On suspecting that they could have been noticed, they tried to abort the mission, got into their car and fled. However, communication was immediately relayed and they were intercepted shortly after at about 2pm along Burera-Musanze highway,” he explained.
Two of the robbers, he said, managed to escape and six others were arrested and currently detained at Rusarabuye Police station, pending further investigations.
CIP Twizeyimana identified the arrested suspected robbers as Ildephonse Nkurunziza, 45; Emmanuel Muhire, 25; Joseph Ntakirutimana, 37; Jean Claude Nizeyimana, 25; John Ndungutse, 36; Jean Pierre Hakizimana, 35.
“Investigations have so far identified who the two suspects that escaped are, but thorough investigations are still underway to get to the bottom of the case and to know and arrest anyone that could have been part of it,” the spokesperson said.
Break-in, which is classified as ‘theft with violence or threats’ under article 303 of the penal code, is punishable with a term of imprisonment of seven to ten, if convicted.
