News / National
Housebreakers drive off in a police car
17 Sep 2011 at 23:47hrs | Views
Four HARARE housebreakers left alone in a police car with the engine running simply drove off with it on Thursday while the police who had arrested them chased their accomplice.
The four were still missing, but the car - a Toyota Mark II - was found dumped near Beatrice yesterday.
The police did chase the Toyota Mark II in a Mazda 323, but that ran out of fuel before it closed in on the first car.
The escape was the conclusion of an otherwise highly successful police operation launched by Mabelreign Police Station to break and arrest a gang of housebreakers that had been a serious nuisance in northwest Harare.
The police started the round up on Tuesday when they arrested Romeo Mabhunu (28) who they had been seeking.
He led them to the arrest of the other four, including Godfrey Mutamba and Collin Phiri, who were picked up at The White House at the corner of Albion and Cameron streets on charges of receiving stolen property.
After questioning, Mabhunu was co-operative and was used to set a trap for the suspected ringleader Golden Magwenje (25), who lived in Tynwald South.
When he agreed to meet Mabhunu at his house, not realising that Mabhunu was already singing in the cells, the police arranged a suitable escort.
Three police in two unmarked cars, the Toyota Mark II and the Mazda 323, went out on Thursday morning with Mabhunu sitting in handcuffs in the backseat of the Toyota Mark II.
The other four were left in the cells.
On arrival at the house, Magwenje turned up in his white Nissan Sunny with three other presumed members of the gang.
The police pounced.
The four were all arrested and bundled into the back of the police car in which Mabhunu was sitting in his cuffs when one of the four new arrests managed to wriggle free and ran away.
The three policemen pursued him and eventually caught him.
But while they were chasing him, Magwenje, who like all the arrested except Mabhunu was not handcuffed, leapt over the seats into the front and drove off in the Toyota Mark II with the other three still riding in the back.
The keys had not only been left in the ignition, but the engine was running.
The car was last seen heading for the nearby Bulawayo Road.
The policemen, hauling their surviving captive, raced to the 323, climbed in and gave chase.
But before they even saw the fleeing car, the 323 ran out of fuel.
During the earlier and more successful phase of the operation, police recovered nine Plasma television sets, a Sony hi-fi, a Dell computer and a refrigerator, all worth US$12 000.
All 10 suspected members of the gang lived in Dzivaresekwa and Tynwald.
The gang is thought to be responsible for a spate of break-ins around Mabelreign, Westgate and Tynwald North.
The four were still missing, but the car - a Toyota Mark II - was found dumped near Beatrice yesterday.
The police did chase the Toyota Mark II in a Mazda 323, but that ran out of fuel before it closed in on the first car.
The escape was the conclusion of an otherwise highly successful police operation launched by Mabelreign Police Station to break and arrest a gang of housebreakers that had been a serious nuisance in northwest Harare.
The police started the round up on Tuesday when they arrested Romeo Mabhunu (28) who they had been seeking.
He led them to the arrest of the other four, including Godfrey Mutamba and Collin Phiri, who were picked up at The White House at the corner of Albion and Cameron streets on charges of receiving stolen property.
After questioning, Mabhunu was co-operative and was used to set a trap for the suspected ringleader Golden Magwenje (25), who lived in Tynwald South.
When he agreed to meet Mabhunu at his house, not realising that Mabhunu was already singing in the cells, the police arranged a suitable escort.
Three police in two unmarked cars, the Toyota Mark II and the Mazda 323, went out on Thursday morning with Mabhunu sitting in handcuffs in the backseat of the Toyota Mark II.
The other four were left in the cells.
On arrival at the house, Magwenje turned up in his white Nissan Sunny with three other presumed members of the gang.
The police pounced.
The four were all arrested and bundled into the back of the police car in which Mabhunu was sitting in his cuffs when one of the four new arrests managed to wriggle free and ran away.
The three policemen pursued him and eventually caught him.
But while they were chasing him, Magwenje, who like all the arrested except Mabhunu was not handcuffed, leapt over the seats into the front and drove off in the Toyota Mark II with the other three still riding in the back.
The keys had not only been left in the ignition, but the engine was running.
The car was last seen heading for the nearby Bulawayo Road.
The policemen, hauling their surviving captive, raced to the 323, climbed in and gave chase.
But before they even saw the fleeing car, the 323 ran out of fuel.
During the earlier and more successful phase of the operation, police recovered nine Plasma television sets, a Sony hi-fi, a Dell computer and a refrigerator, all worth US$12 000.
All 10 suspected members of the gang lived in Dzivaresekwa and Tynwald.
The gang is thought to be responsible for a spate of break-ins around Mabelreign, Westgate and Tynwald North.
Source - The Herald
