Notorious Hwange thief runs out of luck

Leonard Ncube

POLICE in Hwange have arrested a notorious thief that had 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 are asleep or fish the valuables out through broken-down windows.

Ncube ran out of luck last week when police got wind that he was selling some cellphone handsets at Lubangwe Business Centre outside Hwange and moved in to arrest him. Some of the stolen valuables were recovered while he had sold some.

He was charged with aggravated unlawful entry 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 of the complainants’ ZiG 33 277 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 offenses.

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 where he would steal and disappear without being noticed.

Upon arrest, there were suspicion that Ncube was part of a housebreaking syndicate but he denied having accomplices.