16-year-old girl raped, robbed while looking for a...

16-year-old girl raped, robbed while looking for a job

Zim Now Writer

A 16-year-old girl from Chikomba was raped and robbed the day she arrived in Harare where she intended to look for a job as a house maid.

Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Julius Chakanza said the girl, who had arrived from Chikomba, proceeded to a hardware outlet in the city centre to see the person who had offered her the job but was told he had gone to Mazowe on business.

While waiting for the prospective employer outside the shop, the girl was approached by a man who appeared to be concerned about her situation.

The man lied to her that he knew of someone who was looking for a maid and was even prepared to pay her a better salary of US$80.

The girl was lured to a bushy area in Warren Park where she was raped once without protection and the man threatened to harm her.

The man allegedly stole the girl’s Huawei cellphone, a brown jacket and US$10 cash after the act, before disappearing into the darkness.

A passer-by later took the girl to Warren Park Police Station where the case was reported.

The girl was referred to hospital for medical examination and treatment and the man is yet to be arrested.

Inspector Chakanza said warned parents against releasing their underage children to seek employment as this exposed them to danger, adding that girls and women should be wary of strangers offering them assistance as some of them were criminals.