Chinhoyi robbers remanded in custody
A GANG of six machete-wielding robbers suspected of committing a spate of rape and robberies in Chinhoyi have appeared in court.
Prince Dube, 23, Maxwell Karoterote, 28, Dennis Tshuma, 24, Lloyd Makiwa, 28, Maxwell Arozho Adamson Sikanyika, 36, and Tinashe Gandawa, 27, appeared before Chinhoyi provincial magistrate, Langton Ndokera.
They were remanded in custody to February 14 for routine remand.
Persecuting, Tafadzwa Rwodzi, told the court that on December 28 last year around 7pm, the six went to Muvhami business centre and broke into a shop where they stole solar equipment and an assortment of electrical gadgets before fleeing in their gate-away Honda Fit.
On January 14, the gang allegedly went to Golden Kopje in Chinhoyi and terrorised complainants, who were sleeping in a shack. They ransacked the shack and stole US$500 as well as 10 grams of gold amalgam and cellphones.
According to the State’s allegations, on the same night at around 2am, the gang went to Matoranjera business centre in Zvimba and assaulted Ropafadzo Hove and Wellington Mupandaguta with logs, demanding cash and valuables.
Hove and Mupandaguta gave the gang US$40 and $4 000 as well as their cellphones.
Not satisfied with their loot, they then ransacked the bar and took two crates of Castle Lager, 12x750 Gold Blend Whiskey, 20kgs maize seed, 30kgs soya beans, including a car tyre and fled.
On January 16, they went to Ngoroma Village in Mhangura where they stole US$1 000 stashed in the dashboard of a car after they had assaulted the motorist.
They also stole an assortment of clothes, sewing machine and cellphones, and sped off in the man’s vehicle and dumped it near the Grain Marketing Board Mhangura depot.
It is alleged that on January 22, the gang stole an HP laptop, a gas stove and groceries at Avlone Park shopping centre along the Chinhoyi-Chegutu highway.
Police were tipped off that Makiwa was in possession of stolen groceries, and arrested him, leading to the recovery of the stolen loot. Makiwa then implicated his accomplices, who were then arrested.