Tuckshop attendant caught sexually abusing girl (9), commits suicide

In a bizarre incident, a 30-year-old Kadoma tuckshop attendant tried to commit suicide by throwing himself onto a speeding car after a mob force-marched him to a police station after he was allegedly caught red-handed sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl in his tuckshop on Saturday.

Police said they arrested Davies Dzinoreva, who resides at number 18 Mateyaunga Street in Rimuka and is expected to appear in court soon. There was pandemonium at the man's tuckshop on Saturday around 6pm when the irate mob wanted to lynch the accused who was saved by some people who shielded him from the crowd soon after he was caught molesting the child.

Mashonaland West police provincial spokesman Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara confirmed that Dzinoreva was allegedly caught sexually abusing the girl in his tuckshop around 5pm.

Inspector Mabgweazara said information gathered so far show that the Dzinoreva allegedly sexually abused the minor twice.

It is alleged that on December 13, the girl was sent to buy some items and was given two packets of corn snacks by the accused as a token because she was a regular customer.

It is further alleged that he lured her into the tuckshop where he allegedly raped her once before releasing her with death threats should she report the matter.

"Two days later, the girl who was in the company of her two friends aged six and nine went to buy some items at the tuck shop and he told them to come later to collect the change," said Insp Mabgweazara.

The accused is alleged to have tried to lure the girl into the tuckshop but she refused citing the presence of her friends. Police say he then separated the trio by asking the other two to go and fetch him water at a nearby borehole.

The two girls, said Insp Mabgweazara, pretended to have obliged but hid behind the tuckshop.

While he was in the process of allegedly raping the girl for the second time, the peeping two girls screamed and alerted elders who rushed to the scene.