Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka-Chisepo
Court Correspondent
A SELF-proclaimed prophet and his accomplice have appeared in court for allegedly orchestrating a daring US$250 000 robbery targeting a Chinese businessman, before splashing part of the proceeds on property and a vehicle.
Learnmore Mirison (25) and Thomas Kanhu (31), who reportedly lead an apostolic shrine in Eastview, were arraigned before Harare regional magistrate Mrs Jesse Kufa, facing charges of unlawful entry in aggravating circumstances.
The pair was remanded in custody to Wednesday for a bail hearing. Prosecutor Mr Oscar Madhume told the court that the complainant, Mr Zhang Yung, a director of Fortitude Construction Company, had secured US$250 000 in a safe inside a locked safe room at his premises on April 7, 2026, around 1 pm.
However, during the night, Mirison and Kanhu allegedly connived with an accomplice still at large, Obert Mirison, who was employed as a night security guard at the premises.
It is the State’s case that the trio hatched a plan to steal the cash and executed it under the cover of darkness.
The court heard that Mirison and Kanhu hired an InDrive vehicle to take them to the premises, where they met Obert, who was on duty.
Using keys allegedly taken from one of the rooms, the accused gained entry into the safe room, removed the safe, and concealed it with a blanket before taking it outside.
They reportedly locked the premises again and fled with the keys. The accused allegedly transported the safe to Churchill Road, where they hired another vehicle to Mabvuku near Khaya Cement, before securing yet another vehicle driven by Tatenda Kambarami to Eastview.
Upon arrival, they reportedly carried the safe to a nearby mountain, where they broke it open and shared the cash, with the now-absconding accomplice allegedly taking the largest portion.
The following day, Mr Zhang became suspicious after noticing that the keys to the safe room were missing.
He forced the door open and discovered that the safe had been stolen, prompting him to file a report at ZRP Fife Avenue.
Investigations by CID Homicide detectives led to the arrest of Learnmore Mirison on April 10 at Kanhu’s shrine in Eastview.
Upon questioning, Mirison implicated himself and led detectives to his residence, where US$31 800 in cash was recovered.
He also led police to Eastview Mountain, where the stolen safe and the blanket used in the crime were recovered.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Kanhu on April 11 in Eastview. A search at his premises resulted in the recovery of US$25 700, an iPhone 16 Pro Max, and an unregistered white Honda Shuttle allegedly purchased using proceeds of the crime.
Police confirmed that a total of US$70 600 has been recovered so far, out of the US$250 200 stolen.
