Chronicle Editor
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
BURGLARS broke into a restaurant in Bulawayo and got away with property worth more than US$6 000 including television sets, decoders, stoves and fridges.
On a day between 25 and 28 December, the burglars broke the doors and security bars of Homely House Restaurant owned by socialite Mr Emmanuel “Manu” Takaedza Mahaso.
Mr Mahaso said they locked the shop on Sunday, 24 December and closed the restaurant for three days during the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays, only to discover the burglary on Thursday, 28 December.
“We closed the restaurant for three days for the Christmas Day and opened on Thursday 28 December only to discover that thieves had ransacked the outlet. We lost three 72-inch television sets as well as decoders, four-plate stoves, upright and deep fridges which all cost about US$6 000,” said Mr Mahaso.
He said they, however, continued operations with other sourced resources saying he was confident the long arm of the law will catch up with the burglars and recover their property.
Meanwhile, police in Bulawayo have arrested two people for six counts of unlawful entry committed over a period of eight months in the city.
In a statement, acting Bulawayo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the arrest of the suspects.
“Police confirm the arrest of two accused persons Bekhithemba Khumalo aged 48 (male) and Bukhosi Nkomo, aged 50 (male) for six counts of unlawful entry committed over a period stretching eight months in Bulawayo. During the period from April 2023 and December 2023, the duo took advantage of the complainants’ absence from their homes and unlawfully broke into a total of six households in Nkulumane.
“The accused persons would forcefully gain entry into the secured premises using unknown objects and steal various household goods which included electric gadgets, plasma television sets, gas tanks, clothing items, blankets, and food stuffs and at one of the houses they stole five kilogrammes of mopane worms (amacimbi) and five kilogrammes of biltong (umhwabha),” said Asst Insp Msebele.
She said on 5 September 2023 at around 8pm, the pair proceeded to a complainant’s house in Nkulumane who had visited her rural home in Kezi and they used an unknown object to force open the door to gain entry and unlawfully stole a 32-inch television, a camera, Nokia cellphone and its charger, a spirit level, electric cable, black trunk and various groceries.
Furthermore, on 11 October 2023 at about 6pm, the pair allegedly pounced on another residential home and stole property worth US$200 which included a 14-inch Samsung television, blankets, clothes and buckets and went away unnoticed.
“Following a tip off from members of the public, on 26 December 2023, a surveillance team tracked the accused persons, leading to the arrest of the two. Upon interrogation, the two admitted to having committed the above-mentioned offences. The total value of goods stolen is US$5 262 and US$2 150 has been recovered currently,” said Asst Insp Msebele. — @nyeve14
derick.khumalo