News / National
3 arrested for stealing 5,000litres of diesel from Feruka pipeline
26 Nov 2024 at 08:15hrs | Views
Three suspects, Liberty Munyaradzi (34), Clementine Sikoti (39), and Itai Ndlovu (43), appeared before Harare Magistrate Apollonia Marutya yesterday, facing charges of stealing 5,000 litres of diesel from the Feruka pipeline. The theft, which occurred in Marondera, involved the accused and others still at large, who allegedly breached the pipeline to siphon off the fuel.
The complainant in the case is Petrozim Line, a subsidiary of the National Oil Infrastructure Company of Zimbabwe (NOIC), represented by its risk and loss control officer, Elton Mangombe.
Magistrate Marutya postponed the matter to Friday this week for a bail application, allowing the accused time to make their case. Prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi presented the allegations, claiming that on November 17, 2023, Munyaradzi, Sikoti, Ndlovu, and two accomplices, including a person identified as Tawanda who is still at large, used a blowtorch to puncture a section of the Feruka pipeline near Diggleford Primary School in Marondera.
After creating the hole, the suspects allegedly installed a valve to siphon the fuel into plastic containers, from which they drove off with the stolen diesel.
The theft was detected when a team from the NOCZIM control room noticed the leakage and dispatched a response team to the scene. Upon arrival, the team confronted the suspects, with some fleeing the scene while others were apprehended.
The case has attracted significant attention due to the scale of the theft and the involvement of multiple suspects, as well as the breach of national infrastructure. The court will hear the bail application on Friday.
The complainant in the case is Petrozim Line, a subsidiary of the National Oil Infrastructure Company of Zimbabwe (NOIC), represented by its risk and loss control officer, Elton Mangombe.
Magistrate Marutya postponed the matter to Friday this week for a bail application, allowing the accused time to make their case. Prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi presented the allegations, claiming that on November 17, 2023, Munyaradzi, Sikoti, Ndlovu, and two accomplices, including a person identified as Tawanda who is still at large, used a blowtorch to puncture a section of the Feruka pipeline near Diggleford Primary School in Marondera.
After creating the hole, the suspects allegedly installed a valve to siphon the fuel into plastic containers, from which they drove off with the stolen diesel.
The theft was detected when a team from the NOCZIM control room noticed the leakage and dispatched a response team to the scene. Upon arrival, the team confronted the suspects, with some fleeing the scene while others were apprehended.
The case has attracted significant attention due to the scale of the theft and the involvement of multiple suspects, as well as the breach of national infrastructure. The court will hear the bail application on Friday.
Source - newsday
