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Crime Reporter
A Zimbabwean man who is one of the three suspects, two of them foreigners, believed to be part of a vehicle smuggling and carjacking syndicate in the SADC region, has been rearrested on fresh charges.
Brian Mabika (29) had been granted $20 000 bail by the High Court last Thursday and was rearrested by detectives from the CID Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS) soon after depositing the bail.
He was rearrested over three fresh charges of car thefts which he allegedly committed in Zimbabwe in 2019.
Mabika remains in custody with his two other accomplices — a South African, Mpswati Obed Lucar (33) and a Zambian identified only as SA Kalengo (36).
They were recently arrested in Mainway Meadows, Harare, after they were found in possession of two cars — a Range Rover Evoque (registration number HZ 33CN GP) and a Toyota Fortuner (JH 81 HR GP), both worth nearly R1 million.
The vehicles are suspected to have been stolen in Namibia before being smuggled to South Africa and then Zimbabwe.
It is believed the suspects wanted to eventually smuggle the two cars into Zambia.
Mabika’s wife, Sikholisiwe Zondo (27) of Hatfield, Harare, was also arrested last week after she hired the Toyota Fortuner at CE car rental in Namibia, before surrendering it to her husband for smuggling.
They tampered with the vehicle chassis numbers and fixed a fake registration number plate in South Africa before smuggling the two cars into Zimbabwe en route to Zambia, using the fake documents.
On the new charges, investigations carried out so far have revealed that on October 26, 2019 at Holiday Inn, Mabika who was in the company of his three accomplices including two South African nationals, hatched a plan to steal a white Toyota Hilux at a car rental in the city.
They then hired the vehicle for six days at a fee of US$150. The suspects deposited US$300 and were given the vehicle and later disabled its tracking system.
Mabika and his accomplices did not return the vehicle but smuggled it into Zambia after manufacturing fake documents. A report was made to the police.
The vehicle is still in Zambia and police are making efforts to return it to the owner.
On October 26, 2019, Mabika and his accomplices also went to another car rental in the city where they allegedly hired a black Ford Ranger for six days and paid US$300 as deposit before tampering with the tracking system, again.
They then disappeared and the vehicle, valued at US$85 000, has not been recovered.
On the third count, it is alleged that on June 5, 2019, the complainant arrived from South Africa while driving a silver Isuzu KB250 in the company of one of the suspects, Charles Mpofu, when they booked at a lodge in the city.
The following morning at around 6am, Mpofu asked for the car keys from the unsuspecting complainant alleging that he wanted to go to Norton with Mabika for some business and would return the vehicle on the same day.
They were given the car but disappeared and a report was made to the police.
On June 17, 2019 detectives from the CID VTS received information that the vehicle was in possession of a Ruwa man and they went to his house where they ambushed him.
They arrested him and said he had bought the vehicle from Mabika and Mpofu.
Mabika was later arrested while Mpofu disappeared.
Online Reporter