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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THREE people from Harare who went on a thieving spree targeting fuel service stations and shops in four different towns have been arrested after being caught on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras stealing in Hwange.
Fortune George Mututa (38) of Borrowdale, Joan Nicky Bowman (34) of Hatfield and Kudakwashe Brough, whose address was not given but is also from Harare were arrested in Hwange.
They had stolen handbags from Ms Tamary Mhlari and Ms Elizabeth Kondowe who are pump attendants at Glow Petroleum Service Station’s Hwange garage last month and used a bank card belonging to one of the complainants to buy some groceries.
The trio, who have pending cases in Bulawayo and Harare, were convicted of aggravated unlawful entry into premises when they appeared before Hwange magistrate, Mr Gift Dube.
There was separation of trial after Brough, who was the one caught on CCTV, pleaded guilty while Mututa and Bowman pleaded not guilty claiming they were not involved in commission of the crime.
The magistrate sentenced Brough to an effective 15 months in jail.
Mututa and Bowman were convicted after full trial.
Mututa was sentenced to 18 months in prison of which six months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. The remaining 12 months is effective.
Bowman was sentenced to 12 months in jail of which six months was suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. He will serve an effective six months. The vehicle used in the crime was forfeited to the State.
Particulars of the case were that the trio drove to Hwange where they stole from Ms Mhlauri and Ms Kondowe.
“On the 15th day of July 2019 at around 10PM, the accused persons proceeded to Glow Petroleum Service Station driving a silver Nissan Sunny whereupon arrival they parked their vehicle near the garage and stayed there observing and monitoring movements of fuel attendants who were on duty.
“On the 16th of July at 6.30AM, the accused noticed that the attendants had left their handbags which had belongings such as cash and bank cards in the front office and hatched a plan to steal the property,” said the prosecutor.
The court was told that Brough proceeded to the front office and pushed open a closed but unlocked door while his accomplices remained on guard after noticing that the attendants were busy serving clients.. The trio’s movements were captured on CCTV. Ms Mhlauri and Ms Kondowe later noticed that their belongings were missing and replayed the CCTV footage.
A report was made to the police.
Investigations showed that Ms Mhlauri’s bank card had been used to buy some groceries at a shop in Cinderella suburb in Hwange.
A follow-up was made to the shop and Bowman was arrested after being found sitting in the same car they used while committing the crime.
He implicated Mututa and Bowman who were later arrested on the same day upon arrival from Victoria Falls as they disembarked from a vehicle they had hired to carry some goods they had stolen from resort town.
The total value of goods stolen in Hwange was Z$6 519,40 and Z$2 787 worth of goods were recovered. – @ncubeleon
Online Reporter