Nightclub Car Thief Nailed! Drunk vibes turn into high-speed crime drama

B-Metro Reporter

A night out turned into a nightmare for a 53-year-old man from Iminyela when his silver-grey Mazda 626 vanished from outside a bottle store in Bulawayo’s CBD. Police say the thief is a 25-year-old from Emganwini.

Jabu Melvin Ncube was arrested on 22 June after allegedly stealing the vehicle, which was parked along Fife Street between 11th and 12th Avenue around 12:30am while the owner was inside a nightclub “buying beer.”

In a shocking blunder, the man left behind US$200, a wallet with his ID and driver’s licence, a Samsung Note 10, an Itel cellphone and a defensive driver’s licence inside the car.

“When he returned after about an hour and a half, the vehicle was gone,” said Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele.

Later that day, police received a tip-off that the stolen vehicle had been dumped along Batch Street near Robert Tredgold Primary School. Officers rushed to the scene and found the car intact but missing both phones.

The suspect was spotted near McKeurtan Primary School and arrested. One stolen phone, the Samsung Note 10, was recovered.

“The total value stolen is US$3 000 and property worth US$2 980 has been recovered,” confirmed Insp Msebele.

She added, “We urge motorists not to leave valuables inside their cars. Opportunists are always watching.”