Trio steals from school

Mashudu Mambo, Sunday News Reporter
THREE Bulawayo men have been arrested for allegedly breaking into the administration block at Thomas Rudland Primary School in the city where they stole goods worth more than $2 800.

The trio, Mduduzi Mahlangu of 4386 Nketa 7, Tinashe Mbobozi of 30835/1 in Entumbane and Oliver Mahlangu of Badden Powell Street, North End appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Ms Gladmore Mushove facing charges of theft and unlawful entry.

They were remanded in custody to 8 September. For the State, Mr Kudakwashe Jaravaza told the court that on 28 March 2017 at around 4pm, the complainant who is the headmistress of the school, Mrs Rhoda Hamandishe knocked off duty and secured the premises by locking the main entrance door and went home, leaving everything intact.

At midnight, the trio went to the school and entered the school grounds after cutting the perimeter fence. They then proceeded to the school administration block where Mbobozi allegedly broke the padlock of the main door, while Mduduzi and Oliver were standing at the corners of the block on guard.

After opening the main door to the administration block, Mduduzi and Mbobozi entered into the building and Oliver remained outside as a watchman.

He later joined them inside the office.

While they were inside the administration block, they entered into offices and stole an HP 250 laptop, sugar, powdered milk, juice, biscuits, seven counter books and 20 Huawei tablet phones. On their way out, they met a security guard Mr Tarisai Maniki who they grabbed and choked. They tied his hands with a neck tie and made him lie down on his back on the floor before they went away.

The trio was later arrested after six of the stolen tablets were recovered through information supplied by Econet Wireless from people in Harare who had bought them. They implicated the accused persons through their identity numbers which they had left.

The cellphone tablets were positively identified by the complainant through IMEI numbers supplied as the property stolen from the school and the trio admitted to having committed the crime at the school. The stolen property was valued at $2 851,50 and the recovered property was worth $720.