Police in Bulawayo have arrested a 23-year-old man from Entumbane suburb in connection with a spate of theft cases reported in the city centre and in the western suburbs.
The suspect, Panashe Chabikwa (23), and his alleged accomplice, who is still at large, stole from motor vehicles, especially those driven by women.
Chabikwa would forcibly open locked cars and steal valuables while in some cases reaching out for handbags in cars while his partner distracts the drivers by talking to them.
The suspects were using a black Honda Fit fitted on the front and rear with stolen number plates as their getaway car.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson in Bulawayo Province, Inspector Abednico Ncube, believes Chabikwa’s arrest would clear more than 10 cases of theft from vehicles reported in the city. He said:
In one of the cases, a complainant reported his car registration plates missing after he had parked his car at his uncle’s house in Entumbane where Chabikwa resides.
Chabikwa stole the front and rear number plates which he fitted onto his black Honda Fit which he used in the commission of crimes.
In another case, Chabikwa conversed with the unsuspecting complainant – a driver, while his accomplice stole a handbag from the car. The handbag contained a Dell laptop.
In another case, they also stole an iPad 4 Mini and a case of Pepsi drinks along Fife Street between 8th and 9th avenues.
Insp Ncube said the duo robbed another complainant who was sitting in a red Chevrolet of her Huawei Y9 Prime cellphone, national identification card, driver’s licence, US$15 and 1 000 rands after snatching a sling bag through the window and fled from the scene.
The suspects also allegedly stole from yet another car a bag with South African passports, South African identification cards, US$200 and 700 rands.
The complainant, however, managed to capture the registration numbers of the black Honda Fit vehicle that Chabikwa was using and provided the police with the details.
When police arrested Chabikwa, they also recovered a pair of stolen number plates stashed at the back of the passenger seat.
He is expected to appear in court soon. | The Sunday News