Suspected armed robber found with police gear

Michael Mashiri

A Harare man who is alleged to be part of a gang responsible for robbing a Harare company of US$20 500 also stands accused of being found in possession several items of police uniforms.

Police arrested the man in Snake Park on January 21, 2023 and recovered police uniforms items comprising 2 tracksuit bottoms, 1 tracksuit top, 7 grey shirts, 4 riot combat trousers, 1 full dress suit, 3 belts, 1 grey jersey, 1 pair of combat shoes and some drop caps.

This came out when Malivin Mumvurutsi, 34 and a co-accused, John Mafigu, 32 appeared at the Harare Magistrates' Court charged with robbery as defined in Section 126 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, Chapter 9:23.

The state alleges that on December 20, 2023 around 23:00 hours, the two accused were in the company of Kufakunesu Ndima, Bright Machaka (currently in custody), Adam Madhauri, Alfred and Victor (still at large).

The gang went to the premises of a Greendale based company armed with machetes and used intimidation to overcome two guards on duty.

The gang tied up the hands and feet of the two security personnel. Two gang members then stood guard over the restrained men while the rest broke into the company's offices.

They ransacked the offices and found safe keys, opened the safe and stole US$20 500 cash.

They marched the security detail to their respective living quarters at the same complex. The robbers stole a cellphone, a pair of black and white sneakers from the first one and US$120 from the other.

The robbers then took the guards to one of the offices, left them there and fled.

On December 28 detectives arrested Ndima and Machaka who were remanded in custody after their initial court appearance.

Police then next arrested Mumvurutsi in Vintage, Whitecliff, Harare. Mumvurutsi was found with the police gear.

He implicated Mafigu as an accomplice in several robbery cases carried out in Harare and led police detectives to Kuwadzana 6 Shops where Mafigu was arrested.

Mafigu then went with detectives to his place of residence in the same vicinity where police found a loaded pistol with erased serial numbers.

The two men were also separately charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition without valid license.

The police represented by Francis Muripa of CID Homicide Harare opposed bail for the two.

Muripa stated that Mafigu was convicted of Section 65 of the criminal code at the Mrewa court in 2009 while Mumvurutsi has pending cases of rape and robbery involving firearms.