14/08/2025
GUARDS NABBED IN K32,000 GATEWAY HYPERMARKET BREAK-IN
What began as an ordinary night at Gateway Hypermarket turned into a high-stakes crime scene when daring thieves slipped through the shadows, cut through the roof, and made away with over K31,000 in cash right under the watch of security guards who would later become suspects themselves.
Located at the Petroda Service Station along the bustling Kafue Road, Gateway Hypermarket became the center of a sophisticated robbery that unfolded in the early hours of July 24, 2025. The store’s owner, Feroz Alam, 53, of Lilayi, was jolted from routine business when he received a troubling call from his security team at around 03:00 hours.
The guards reported that a suspected thief had been found hiding inside the shop’s toilet. But as officers from the Zambia Police Service rushed to the scene, what they uncovered told a deeper, more tangled story.
According to police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, the break-in was meticulously planned. The intruder, later identified as 28-year-old John Phiri, had gained access by cutting through the hypermarket’s iron-sheet roofing, using a sharp cutting tool. Surveillance footage reviewed by police showed Phiri entering and exiting the premises through the rooftop, skillfully evading both the building’s alarm system and the attention of the guards on duty.
Inside the store, Phiri is seen moving stealthily through the aisles, stuffing bundles of cash mostly coins into a heavy bag. Instead of fleeing immediately, he concealed himself in the shop’s toilet, likely waiting for the cover of daylight or a safe moment to escape.
But what happened next raised even more eyebrows.
The same CCTV footage later captured the two security guards, identified as Austern Lundy and George Hachintu, entering the toilet after Phiri had stashed the loot. The pair are seen retrieving the bag and removing it from the store. No confrontation. No report to their employer. Just quiet cooperation with a thief.
Following intense questioning, both Lundy and Hachintu confessed to moving the bag and led police to its hiding place. A total of K18,087 has since been recovered, but over K12,000 remains unaccounted for.
Phiri and the two guards are now in police custody, jointly charged with breaking into a building and committing a felony therein. Investigations are ongoing to determine if more individuals were involved and to recover the remainder of the stolen funds.
“This incident highlights the urgent need for business owners to not only invest in robust surveillance but also to thoroughly vet security personnel,” Mr Hamoonga cautioned.
As the investigation deepens, what was once a bold roof-top heist is beginning to unravel as a case of betrayal from within where those entrusted to guard the shop may have ended up helping rob it.
