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Whinsley Masara
FOUR suspects from Beitbridge were arrested for unlawful entry and theft after they broke into a house and stole $1 008, six cellphones, three laptops, three external hard drives and some clothes.
One of the burglars was shot and injured during the arrests.
A cellphone they had stolen sold them out after they left it in a shop at Mashavhire Business Centre for charging.
Some of the gadgets had been sold in Masvingo.
The robbery occurred at around 1am on January 9.
The burglars who were identified as Evidence Makasi (23), Prospect Ziyengwa (21), Protage Kwangari (26) and Webster Munyengedzwa (43), taxi driver, were each sentenced to 30 months in jail for unlawful entry and theft.
Kwangari was slapped with an extra five months that had been suspended from an initial similar crime committed sometime ago.
Mike Demanguwa (29) of Dulibadzimu area, had his home ransacked and robbed after he had locked the doors and secured windows at his house before retiring to bed.
The quartet forced entry through the door and stole the gadgets while Demanguwa slept.
They appeared before the Beitbridge magistratea��s court under case number BTB 150-153/ 2018 on Wednesday.
A police source close to investigations said the robbers sold themselves out by leaving one of the stolen cellphones on a charger at one of the shops at Mashavire Business Centre.
a�?The shop attendant tipped off police on January 10 and they kept the shop under surveillance and laid an ambush, catching Makasi when he returned to collect the phone at around 11am. Makasi fled in an attempt to evade arrest but was shot in the process.
a�?Interrogation and further investigations led to him revealing his accomplices leading to the recovery of only two cellphones worth $1 080.A� The rest of the gadgets had been sold in Masvingo, and two cellphones given to their transporter, the taxi driver, Munyengedzwa,a�? said the source.
The taxi driver was arrested alongside the gang for participating in the theft as well as receiving stolen property worth $2 600.
Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele appealed to members of the public in Masvingo or Beitbridge or any other places, who might have bought the stolen property, to return it to their nearest police station.
a�?We appeal to members of the public to be on the lookout to avoid buying stolen property. To those who may have bought cellphones, hard drives and laptops within the stated days to surrender them to their nearest police station to avoid being tracked down,a�? he said.
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derick.khumalo