Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
A CHINHOYI man’s high-stakes break-in ended in total humiliation after a sharp-eared security guard trapped him in the ceiling like a cornered rat.
The thief identified only as Raymond (24) from Mpata, thought he had pulled off a smooth heist when he broke into a mobile phone shop in Mbizo under the cover of darkness on 20 June. Little did he know that the guard on duty wasn’t about to let the night pass quietly.
After climbing onto the roof using a ladder and removing a section with a screwdriver and pliers, Raymond slithered through the ceiling, deactivated the alarm and helped himself to a fat stash of US$7 871 from a cash box that had originally held over US$9 000.
But just as he was preparing to make his getaway, he was busted by the guard who had heard suspicious noises. In a bold move, the guard removed the ladder, trapping Raymond in the ceiling like a caged cat.
With nowhere to run and the shop surrounded, the thief was fished out of the ceiling and found clutching a green satchel stuffed with US dollars.
Raymond, according to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), has since been slapped with a 36-month jail term, with six months suspended.
B-Metro will always shout out the unsung heroes fighting crime on the frontlines — one trap at a time!
derick.khumalo