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Zvikomborero Parafini
A GANG of suspected armed robbers limped into court over the weekend after sustaining serious injuries in a shootout with the police on Thursday.
Nigel Matongera, also known as Sammie, Hope Masoka, who is also known as Sauro and Takudzwa Ngwerume were arrested after they were caught up in a traffic jam along Willowvale in a high speed chase with police.
The court heard that on June 22, a complainant boarded the trio’s vehicle from Greystone Park into the Harare CBD.
He was asked to sit in the middle of two of the robbers, who were occupying the back seat.
One of for robbers then produced a pistol and the other one produced a knife and asked him to surrender all his belongings.
The complainant surrendered his cellphones while they also searched his pockets and stole US$926.
The driver turned the vehicle into Harare Drive, reduced the speed of the car while his accomplices pushed the complainant out of the car.
On July 10, a second complainant boarded the trio’s vehicle in Braeside area intending to go to Mbare.
She was made to sit in the middle of the two robbers who were occupying the back seat.
Along the way, one of them produced a knife and pointed it to the complainant, while demanding her belongings.
The complainant complied and handed over her cellphone.
They dumped her along Chiremba Road and sped off.
On July 24, detectives from CID Homicide Harare received information to the effect that Ruvarashe Mahachi of Southlea Park, Harare, was in possession of one of the stolen cellphones.
The police arrested her and, upon being interviewed, she said she bought the cellphone from Enock Muranganwa of Southlea Park, Harare.
Muranganwa led detectives to Mutyineripi Rambanapasi of Mbare National, who is a cellphone dealer.
Rambanapasi implicated Leon Hunda and Joe Kunaka, who had already been arrested, as the ones who sold him the phone.
On Thursday, the police received a tip-off that the trio was in Highfields.
The gang engaged in a shootout with police.
Bongani Ndlovu
Mathew Masinge