News / National
Toy gun wielding teenager cause havoc in Harare
03 May 2011 at 03:21hrs | Views
SIX taxi drivers lost their vehicles, cash and other valuables to a teenager who scared them with a toy gun on night trips to Mabelreign.
Now the police have arrested Tafadzwa Humure (18) on charges of being the robber and he has pleaded guilty to the first charge and been convicted and jailed. He still faces trial on five more charges.
The drivers were ordered to stop at dark places when they reached Mabelreign and then had a teenager produce a weapon, now known to be a toy, and being robbed of cash and vehicles.
On March 10 Humure and Munyaradzi Bvunzawabaya (19), who has also been arrested and convicted, at about 11pm hired a taxi driven by Mr Smart Chiganza in Chitungwiza.
They drove to Mabelreign and reached Albey Road when one of them ordered the driver to stop.
One of the teenage boys wielding the toy gun ordered the driver to surrender his cellphone and cash.
They pulled out a knife and threatened to stab the complainant before stealing US$20 and a cellphone.
They forced the driver out of the vehicle and sped off before abandoning the vehicle after landing in a ditch.
Two days later, a teenager robbed another taxi driver Mr Fast Taruvinga of US$150 and his cellphone and vehicle.
He had hired him to take him to Mabelreign. He dumped the vehicle after he was involved in an accident.
A taxi driver Mr Admire Mudimu lost US$40 while another cab driver Mr Wellington Musenyi lost US$80 in the same way after driving a teenager to Mabelreign.
Mr Hillary Jese of Fairdeal Taxis was also robbed US$80 after being hired by a teenager.
But Linker Link taxi driver Lovemore Mundenga escaped unscathed after engaging into a fistfight with a teenager after he had pointed a toy gun at him.
The teenager had hired the taxi driver to take him to Sunningdale before he ordered the driver to stop at Prospect Industrial area.
The boy was overpowered and disappeared into the darkness.
Mr Mundenga reported the matter to the police and Humure was arrested following a tip off from members of the public.
Humure and Bvunzawabaya last Friday pleaded guilty to armed robbery when they appeared before regional magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi who convicted them on their own plea of guilty.
Mr Mutevedzi sentenced Humure to five years imprisonment of which three years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Bvunzawabaya will serve an effective four years after two years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Humure was remanded in custody on the other pending matters in a separate court.
Now the police have arrested Tafadzwa Humure (18) on charges of being the robber and he has pleaded guilty to the first charge and been convicted and jailed. He still faces trial on five more charges.
The drivers were ordered to stop at dark places when they reached Mabelreign and then had a teenager produce a weapon, now known to be a toy, and being robbed of cash and vehicles.
On March 10 Humure and Munyaradzi Bvunzawabaya (19), who has also been arrested and convicted, at about 11pm hired a taxi driven by Mr Smart Chiganza in Chitungwiza.
They drove to Mabelreign and reached Albey Road when one of them ordered the driver to stop.
One of the teenage boys wielding the toy gun ordered the driver to surrender his cellphone and cash.
They pulled out a knife and threatened to stab the complainant before stealing US$20 and a cellphone.
They forced the driver out of the vehicle and sped off before abandoning the vehicle after landing in a ditch.
Two days later, a teenager robbed another taxi driver Mr Fast Taruvinga of US$150 and his cellphone and vehicle.
He had hired him to take him to Mabelreign. He dumped the vehicle after he was involved in an accident.
Mr Hillary Jese of Fairdeal Taxis was also robbed US$80 after being hired by a teenager.
But Linker Link taxi driver Lovemore Mundenga escaped unscathed after engaging into a fistfight with a teenager after he had pointed a toy gun at him.
The teenager had hired the taxi driver to take him to Sunningdale before he ordered the driver to stop at Prospect Industrial area.
The boy was overpowered and disappeared into the darkness.
Mr Mundenga reported the matter to the police and Humure was arrested following a tip off from members of the public.
Humure and Bvunzawabaya last Friday pleaded guilty to armed robbery when they appeared before regional magistrate Mr Munamato Mutevedzi who convicted them on their own plea of guilty.
Mr Mutevedzi sentenced Humure to five years imprisonment of which three years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Bvunzawabaya will serve an effective four years after two years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Humure was remanded in custody on the other pending matters in a separate court.
Source - TZN
