A 30-year-old Nyanga man went berserk on Saturday last week and set ablaze his mother-in-law’s house, household property and livestock following a dispute with his estranged wife.
The man, Abraham Chanakira, then took his daughter as well as a beast he had paid as part of lobola and went away.
Six days later, Chanakira returned to his in-laws’ homestead and set 10 goats, a fowl run and a goat pen on fire.
The incident happened in Mapere Village, Mayo in Headlands, according to police in Manicaland Province.
Chanakira had an altercation with his estranged wife, Emilia Chanakira and they went separate ways.
Emilia then left their matrimonial home and returned to her mother, Agnes Mukova’s homestead in Mapere Village.
On the day Chanakira ran amok and set his in-laws’ homestead on fire, villagers in the area took the law into their own hands and heavily assaulted him using logs before handing him over to the police.
He sustained serious injuries and was taken to Mayo Clinic before being transferred to Rusape District Hospital.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka said:
Chanakira went to the homestead and demanded custody of their daughter. He assaulted Emilia and her mother before forcibly taking his daughter as well as a beast he had paid as part of lobola and went away.
He returned six days later and set ablaze Ms Mukova’s bedroom, kitchen hut, goat pen and 10 goats.