Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
A 23-YEAR-OLD Chinhoyi man is counting bars after allegedly stealing police patrol car.
Godfrey Musa Ndlovu is now a guest of the State after he stole a Zimbabwe Republic Police vehicle from Chemagamba Police Camp and went on a joy ride.
He allegedly stripped and dumped the car.
The incident occurred on 7 December at around 5am. A police officer was preparing to travel to Mutoko in a silver Kia Rio police vehicle. Ndlovu, described as a neighbour’s relative, begged for a lift into town.
The officer allowed him to load his goods into the car. Then came the fatal mistake.
The cop briefly dashed back into his house to fetch a cellphone, leaving the vehicle keys inside his jacket on the seat.
That was all Ndlovu needed.
He grabbed the keys and sped off, leaving the stunned officer staring at an empty parking spot.
However, the road soon ran out.
Acting on a tip off, police pounced on Ndlovu near Thrills Service Station where he was travelling in an unregistered taxi, popularly known as a mushikashika.
Cornered and shaken, he led officers to the stolen vehicle which was dumped in Ruvimbo Phase 2.
The car, valued at US$6 000, had been tampered with.
Its registration plates were removed, the third plate altered, the police radio disconnected and the communication aerial damaged. The missing number plates worth US$650 were never recovered.
Ndlovu was dragged before the Chinhoyi Magistrates Court where he was slapped with a 30 month jail term, with 18 months suspended on condition of good behaviour. That leaves him to serve an effective 12 months behind bars.
The National Prosecuting Authority, commenting on the incident, said: “State property is protected under law. Abuse of trust and unlawful conduct will attract severe penalties.”
Bongani Ndlovu