Police has vowed to continue the crack down on criminals; with the latest being an arrest of burglary suspects in two separate incidents by detectives in Harare and Midlands Provinces.

Criminal Investagations Department (CID) Braeside in Harare nabbed the quartet of Collet Rudairo Malgas (35), Victor Mukura (30), Simbarashe Kudakwashe Rwanga (36) and Collen Tafadzwa Murambiwa (26), who were causing havoc in Waterfalls and Mbare suburbs in Harare. They were linked to eight cases of Unlawful Entry and Theft.

It seems lady luck was on police side as detectives found all the four suspects asleep in Murambiwa’s room at the sprawling Epworth high density suburb during the raid. Police recovered also a lot of stolen property through indications from the suspects.

Detective Inspector Petros Tshuma, the Officer-In-Charge CID Braeside said the suspects were also linked to some cases that were committed in Southerton area. Police recovered 13 Plasma television sets, 1 home theatre, 1 amplifier and 1 3-CD changer radio after their arrest.

“These suspects were a group of five, but we managed to arrest four. They targeted nite clubs mostly and a few residential houses. They would use iron bars to force open entry and steal mostly electrical gadgets,” said Det Insp Tshuma.

The Officer Commanding Police in Mbare District, Chief Superintendent Oscar Mugomeri told this magazine in an interview that, while some of the property was recovered in Mbare suburb, a number of unlicensed backyard shops in Harare’s Central Business District were providing a ready market for the stolen goods. He urged members of the public to keep serial numbers of their property and also report early whenever their goods are stolen.

At the time of going to print, both syndicates had

appeared in courts and remanded in custody for trial.

Meanwhile, acting on a tip-off, police detectives in Gweru recently arrested Moses Munemo (37) and Luke Mhlanga (42), both of Ascot suburb for 18 counts of Unlawful Entry and Theft. One of the cases dates back to November 2015, whilst others were committed during the last Christmas holiday days.

On 18 December 2017, the two suspects allegedly broke into two houses in Athlone and Windsor Park in Gweru, where they stole a 32 inch Supersonic and 40 inch Sony Bravia Plasma television sets, respectively. Three days later, they resumed again their sporadic attacks and stole some property in Northlea, Riverside, Ridgemont, Athlone and Ascot suburbs. The suspects would skip one day or two, before pouncing again in another suburb to steal from residents who were pre-occupied with Christmas holiday celebrations.

The Officer-In-Charge Crime, CID Gweru, Detective Inspector Leonard Gwandu described Munemo and Mhlanga as hard core criminals who were too daring, as they would jump over durawalls to get into complainant’s houses and cut burglar bars of windows to gain entry. The suspects targeted electrical gadgets, which they would sell in far places outside Gweru town. Some of the property was recovered in Chirumanzu area.