Habitual robber, journalist arrested

One of the country's notorious armed robbers, Clever Mununudzi Nengomasha, was shot and seriously injured following a skirmish with police in Harare, leading to the recovery five guns and ammunition hidden at a Waterfalls house belonging to journalist, Xolisani Ncube.

Investigations revealed that Nengomasha, alias Paul Simon Chitakura, is related to Ncube (35) who is a Zimbabwe correspondent for South African media organisation, NewzRoom Afrika.

The two have since been arrested and are still in custody as investigations on the case continue.

Nengomasha has various armed robbery cases dating back to early 2000.

He is presently under police guard at a local hospital after he was shot and seriously injured on the thigh during the shoot out in Waterfalls.

Following his arrest, police who were acting on a tip-off about Nengomasha's whereabouts, then recovered two .22 Bruno rifles, a .357 Magnum revolver, a .38 Special Taurus Revolver, a 7.65mm Vzor pistol and 10 x 3,57mm rounds of ammunition, five x 9x19mm rounds of ammunition and 6×7,65mm rounds of ammunition hidden at Ncube's house.

Ncube was arrested on Thursday after he failed to produce firearm certificates of the recovered firearms.

Some of the guns had erased serial numbers.

Police said some of the guns were stolen during an armed robbery in the city, in which a man lost various firearms and cash to criminals who had raided his house last year.

Two of the suspects were later arrested and then implicated Nengomasha.

Acting on the tip off, police then raided Ncube's house.

Nengomasha has been on the police wanted list on several occasions and had been known mostly for hiding in South Africa.

In 2013, Nengomasha and his accomplices Peace Mutema alias Batista who is now late, and another one only identified as Mudzingwa, were once wanted for a spate of armed robberies in Harare and Bulawayo.

By then, the trio's first contact with police was on Boxing Day in 2012 when Mutema, Nengomasha and Mudzingwa were involved in a shootout with police after they were confronted near Karigamombe Centre in the city.

The trio was travelling in a Mazda Familia and detectives received information that they had parked their vehicle near the premises.

It is alleged that they fired shots towards the detectives resulting in a high-speed chase but they managed to escape.

The trio once pounced on a shop in Bulawayo and stole US$450 cash and airtime recharge cards worth US$191 000.

Mutema and Nengomasha also hit Pacific Holdings in Bulawayo and got away with US$10 000 cash, R65 000, a Toyota Camry, a pistol and three cell phones.

They later dumped the car in Harare's Greendale suburb.

On December 24, 2012, Mutema, Nengomasha and Mudzingwa, pounced on Total Service Station in Harare and got away with US$1 400 cash.

They were travelling in a silver Mazda Familia.

In 2011, a bogus Harare lawyer allegedly teamed up with a jailbird and caused the release of eight armed robbers, including Nengomasha using fake High Court bail release orders.

David Mwanjeya (28) and George Simbi (29) were then convicted on eight counts of forgery, by senior magistrate Lazarus Murendo.

Two of the alleged armed robbers, Arnold Kwarira and Enerst Chikate, were then re-arrested while Sheperd Mhizha, Fanuel Muchineripi, Tawanda Mandudzo, Brighton Chagara, Nengomasha and Emmson Mutevera, fled.