Online Reporter
Moreblessing Ncube
TWO men have been forced to pay the price after a brazen late-night cellphone theft went horribly wrong!
Praise Moyo (20) and Isaac Dube (26) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Vimbai Chirai, who fined them US$200 each.
If they fail to pay, they will spend five months behind bars.
State prosecutor Arnold Mudekunye told the court that on February 18, at around 11pm, the duo struck at Cafe Baku along Joshua Nkomo Street, between 9th and 10th Avenue.
They stole a Samsung A05 cellphone and cash amounting to US$118 before making a run for it.
But their freedom didn’t last long.
Police investigations quickly led to their arrest, and the stolen phone was recovered.
The total value of the stolen property was US$388, with US$200 already recovered.
The victim, a woman who lost her phone during the incident, told the court how the drama unfolded.
She said she was enjoying her night at Cafe Baku when her phone suddenly disappeared.
After searching everywhere without success, she alerted the bouncers, who advised her to report the matter to the police.
That’s when things got interesting.
Police returned to the scene and found Moyo who bizarrely claimed he was also going to report a stolen phone.
Moments later, they came across Dube, who had already been apprehended by the bouncers.
A search exposed the truth: the stolen phone was found in their possession.
But instead of owning up, the two men started pointing fingers at each other.
Moyo claimed the phone was his, while the complainant described the phone’s colour, its pouch and even gave her number to prove it belonged to her.
In a dramatic twist, Dube admitted he had received the phone from Moyo and was planning to sell it.
But Moyo stuck to his story, claiming he wanted to hand the phone over to police but never got the chance.
The court, however, was not convinced and the pair now have to pay the price.
