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Freeman Razemba, Crime Reporter
Two self-proclaimed prophets were recently arrested for allegedly targeting business owners with a clever yet sinister scam.
They would plant snakes in the victims’ homes and then claim that the individuals were being tormented by evil spirits.
The duo, Takudzwa Mwapeta (29) of Granary, Whitehouse, and Sean Chikomba (22) of Budiriro 5A and another of their accomplices, still at large, would obtain as much information about their targeted victims before approaching them.
They are members of the Johane Masowe Apostolic sect based in Glen Norah A.
In some of the cases, they would get information from the housemaids who they would then connive with to siphon cash.
They were arrested early yesterday morning after they attempted to scam more than US$6 000 cash or 20 beasts from a businessman based in Glen View.
The two and their accomplice had connived with the businessman’s house maid who has since been arrested.
She has been identified as Benhilda Nyevedzanai aged 19.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed the arrests and said they were still looking for the third suspect.
According to investigations, on Thursday at around 4pm, the trio went to one of the businessman’s shops in the Gazaland area in Highfield and approached one of his relatives asking for his cellphone number.
A few hours later one of them contacted the businessman and introduced himself as Chiremba Takudzwa, a member of the Johane Masowe Apostolic Sect, and told him that he was prophesying an evil spirit hovering within his family and that his daughter who is in boarding school might die.
The suspect then ordered the businessman to take water, mix it with coarse salt, and sprinkle it all over his house, ending with his bedroom.
He was also instructed to look under his bed and, if he finds anything not to touch it but to alert them.
The businessman was later ordered to remove all the clothes from the wardrobe that were in his bedroom.
During the process, his wife saw a live python in the wardrobe and he informed the suspects who instructed the couple to leave it there.
The businessman then drove to Gazaland Shopping Centre where he met the three suspects, who told him and his wife that they should go to a river in Waterfalls area to be cleansed of evil spirits.
After the cleansing ceremony at the river, the businessman drove to his house in the company of the three suspects and discovered the python was still in the wardrobe.
“The accused then informed the complainant that the python needed to be appeased with 20 herd of cattle and some money so that it could return to Mozambique.
“The complainant attempted to negotiate with the accused persons so that the charges would be reduced to his reach.
“The complainant eventually agreed to the accused’s demands, and they captured the python and placed it in a white sack.
“The complainant was asked to place money in the sack containing the python, and he complied by placing US$400.
“One of the accused persons who is still large, then took the sack and put it in the complainant’s vehicle.
“The complainant then escorted the accused persons back to Gazaland Shopping Centre, where they had left their car, a Peugeot 306, registration number AAG-2716 and they demanded US$50 so that two of the accused persons would use it to go to Mozambique to return the python,” Insp Chakanza said.
When the businessman left the suspects, he became suspicious of what had occurred and asked his wife to check their maid’s cellphone.
The businessman’s wife then discovered that the housemaid had been previously communicating with two of the suspects and had deleted some messages.
Upon further questioning the maid revealed that the suspects had once came to the businessman’s house earlier on Thursday at around 11 am where they sprinkled some water.
She also once met with the suspects along Patrenda Way in Glen View.
The businessman discovered that he had been duped and informed police officers at Glen View Police Station resulting in a trap being set.
The suspects were arrested at Spacemen Shopping Centre in Glen Norah.
Police recovered the python in their vehicle.
They also recovered US$140 and US$230 from the two suspects. The unrecovered US$80 was in the possession of the other suspect who is at large.
Members of the public have since been urged to be wary of criminals masquerading as prophets to avoid being duped.
Online Reporter