Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, [email protected]
POLICE in Hwange have arrested a notorious thief who has been terrorising residents by breaking into premises at night and stealing valuables.
Future Ncube (25) of S104 Makwika Village targeted electrical gadgets such as cellphone handsets and laptops.
He broke into 31 houses in Makwika Village, Lwendulu Village and Cinderella while occupants were asleep and went away with the valuables.
In all the incidents that occurred between December last year and last month, Ncube used the same modus operandi where he would break into the houses and steal the valuables while the occupants were asleep or fish out the valuables through broken window panes.
Ncube ran out of luck last week when police got wind that he was selling some cellphone handsets at Lubangwe Business Centre outside Hwange town and moved in to arrest him.
Some of the stolen valuables were recovered.
He was charged with unlawful entry and theft when he appeared before Hwange resident magistrate, Ms Lindiwe Maphosa.
Ncube pleaded guilty to all the 31 counts and the magistrate slapped him with 48 months in jail before suspending 22 months on condition that he restitutes 17 complainants ZiG33 277 before 31 August.
The court brought into effect six months that were suspended from a previous conviction as Ncube is not new to the courts for similar offences.
He will serve an effective 32 months in jail. Prosecutor Ms Jamesina Makanza told the court that Ncube used unknown objects to force open people’s premises at night.
Online Reporter