Quartet nabbed for SA car theft

A Toyota Lexus, worth thousands of dollars, that was stolen and smuggled to Zimbabwe via the Limpopo River, was intercepted by security officials in Beitbridge on Wednesday.

Zvikomborero Parafini

Four Harare men were taken to court over the weekend after detectives from the Vehicle Theft Squad found them in possession of a car reported stolen in South Africa.

Geoffrey Chihuri, Vincent Luwizhi, Obvious Nkomo, and Blessed Kambeni were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare regional magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa, who remanded them in custody.

The allegations are that on Tuesday last week, detectives from the Vehicle Theft Squad received information from an informer about an unregistered white Nissan Magnite suspected of being stolen from South Africa, parked outside Magaya Hotel in Waterfalls, Harare.

Acting on the tip-off, the detectives arrested Chihuri, who was found sitting inside the car.

Chihuri was interviewed regarding the source of the car and implicated his accomplices, who were lured to a meeting and were arrested in central Harare.

Upon being interviewed, they alleged that they received the motor vehicle from unknown South Africans whom they met between Rutenga and Beitbridge on Monday.

Checks were made with the Interpol National Criminal Bureau Harare database, confirming that the car was stolen from South Africa.