Boy (12) loses mom’s car to thief

Crime Reporter—

A car thief stole a Mazda Verisa worth thousands of dollars from a 12-year-old boy who had been left in the vehicle at a car park at Kamfinsa Shopping Centre in Greendale, Harare.The boy was left alone in the vehicle with the keys in the ignition while the mother went to do her shopping in a supermarket.

National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident which occurred on Saturday.

“Complainant parked her vehicle at the car park and proceeded into the shop (name withheld) leaving her 12-year-old son in the car with the car keys.

“Accused approached the boy and advised him that her mother wanted him to join her in the shop. The boy rushed to the shop leaving the accused behind who stole the vehicle and drove it away unnoticed,” he said.

Chief Supt Nyathi urged members of the public to lock their vehicles when parking them and avoid leaving children with the car keys in the ignition.

In another incident, a farmer lost 672 bags of fertiliser to a suspected criminal he had hired to transport them to Makonde District from Windmill along Coventry Road.

Chief Supt Nyathi said after being hired, the criminal told the man to remain behind so that he could be picked up by another car since his had no room to carry him.