Suspected thieves shot dead

Mash West Bureau

Two transformer thieves were shot and killed near Murombedzi Growth Point in a shoot-out with police after they failed to stop at a police checkpoint.

The incident happened on Saturday morning.

The six-member gang had vandalised a 200 kilovolt transformer at 162 Marevanani Zowa Farm in Zvimba, plunging the area into darkness.

According to a police memo, the six were spotted by the farm manager, Mr Brian Mariwa, in the early hours of Saturday while he was assessing the fields.

He noticed a gang of four in a thick bush stashing coils of copper windings in plastic sacks while a white Toyota Axio (AEP 3237) getaway vehicle with two occupants was later loaded with the sacks of copper windings.

Mr Mariwa then contacted Zvimba Police Station and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Chegutu’s loss control department.

Mr Mariwa also mobilised villagers who confronted the gang before apprehending Lovemore Murimira of Glen View 1, Harare, while five escaped.

“On the same date at around 0900hours, Chegutu Loss Control and detectives attended the scene where they discovered that a 200 kVA had been vandalised and three coils of copper windings stolen,” reads part of the police report.

The trio of Farai Chigudu, Takudzwa Masese and Fungai Muzhuzha, all from Highfield, Harare, were shot by police at the roadblock after violently attacking the police who had stopped their car.

A digital scale, bolt cutter, pliers and seven plastic sacks with coils of copper windings were recovered from the boot of their getaway car. Mike Tatenda Chigodora of Farm 48 Zowa, Lovemore Murimira of Glen View, Fungai Muzhuzha of Highfield and Jackson Chirindira of Kambuzuma — all from Harare — were taken into custody.

They are held at Zvimba Police Station. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.

In another incident Takundwa Mutize, Munyaradzi Matongo, Tawanda Magomeri — all from Logan Farm — and Forget Mashonga of Glen Norah B in Harare, were arrested on February 1 at Nyamwanga Farm in Shamva after vandalising a 200kVA transformer at Hope Dale Farm in the area.

Police recovered 136,5kg transformer windings from the bush where they had been hidden awaiting transportation.

The suspects were later interviewed, and admitted to vandalising the transformer.