Two men up for faking robbery

Crime Reporter

Two men have been arrested on allegations of making a false report that they had been robbed of US$5 200 and their cellphones.

Richard Jahwi (20) of Zengeza 3, Chitungwiza and Osten Makwinga (24) of Westgate in Harare have since been convicted for orchestrating a fake robbery that also resulted in property damage.

In a statement, Criminal Investigations Department (CID) spokesperson Detective Inspector Rachel Muteweri confirmed the arrests.

“On January 21, the duo received 586 cases of peanut butter from their employer. The peanut butter was for sale,” she said.

“Acting in connivance, the duo stage-managed a robbery on January 25 and later filed a police report claiming that they had been robbed of US$5 200 and their cellphones.

“Alert police officers noted some inconsistencies in the duo’s statements, prompting them to conduct an interrogation that unearthed the stage-managed robbery.

“Further investigations revealed that the duo had even smashed the windows of the vehicle they were using to make the robbery appear more authentic. They had also used part of the stolen money.”

The duo led to the recovery of US$3 200, cellphones and a speaker hidden in a bush along the Gutu-Chivhu Road.

They have since been charged with deliberately supplying false Information to a public authority, theft and malicious damage to property.