Villagers kill 'habitual' thief

Thirteen villagers from Ndumbli area under Chief Chanetsa in Hurungwe have been arrested on charges of killing a suspected thief.

The suspects appeared before a Karoi magistrate yesterday facing charges of murdering Elisha Ben on Thursday last week.

Prosecutors said the now deceased Ben was a habitual thief who had been terrorising villagers.

On the day he met his fate, Ben and an alleged accomplice, Edias Fondondo took advantage of Evelyn Pemhiwa's absence and unlawfully entered her house.

However, luck ran out for them as four neighbours Martin Kwashi, Tafadzwa Zvenyika, Wellington Zvenyika and Sylvester Tichareva managed to apprehend the deceased.

Ben was assaulted after confessing that he was behind a spate of thefts in the village.

Other villagers joined the four in assaulting the suspect all over the body, leaving him unable to walk.

The villagers borrowed a wheel barrow as they wanted to recover the stolen property, but Ben died along the way. A report was made at Magunje police station resulting in the arrest of the suspects.

Magistrate Samuel Chitumwa did not ask the suspects to plead to the charges after prosecutor Webster Dimingu said the villagers needed to be properly served with papers citing their charges. They will appear in court again tomorrow.