News / National
Zimbabwe police intensify arms cache probe
02 Sep 2016 at 01:28hrs | Views
Police and other security agents yesterday visited the Domboshava farmhouse where ammunition manufacturing equipment and thousands of bullet heads and empty cartridges were discovered on Tuesday, as investigations continue.
Although details were still sketchy by yesterday, sources said police from Chinamhora Police Station and detectives from Harare were deployed to the house to verify several issues.
No arrests have been made so far and police are yet to question the commercial farmer Geofrey Kelly McKinnon (66) to get clarity on certain issues.
The house is still under police guard. On Wednesday, police launched full-scale investigations into the matter.
The discovery was made following the eviction of McKinnon from the property by the Messenger of Court.
His farm was recently gazetted and allocated to four beneficiaries under the land reform programme, but he has been refusing to vacate.
Last Friday, the High Court ordered McKinnon and his son Mark to vacate.
It is suspected that McKinnon could have hidden several other guns, including AK47 assault rifles, which he was keeping for unknown reasons at the farm house.
Police only discovered four rifles at his house and there were no documents to support the farmer's ammunition business.
Police sources said when the Messenger of Court arrived at the house, McKinnon used the back door to stash some of the weapons in his vehicle and hid them at an unknown place in the city.
The ammunition making machine, which had some gun powder and cartridges were in one of the rooms in the house. Some of the cartridges were packed in small boxes, while others were scattered in the room.
Several cartridges for AK47 assault rifles and other unidentified rifles were also in the room.
In 2006, police discovered an arms cache at Peter Hitschman's house in Mutare, which included an AK47 rifle, four FN rifles, seven Uzis, 19 pistols and revolvers, 11 shotguns and an assortment of ammunition.
The dangerous weapons were allegedly meant to commit acts of banditry, insurgency, sabotage, and terrorism.
Although details were still sketchy by yesterday, sources said police from Chinamhora Police Station and detectives from Harare were deployed to the house to verify several issues.
No arrests have been made so far and police are yet to question the commercial farmer Geofrey Kelly McKinnon (66) to get clarity on certain issues.
The house is still under police guard. On Wednesday, police launched full-scale investigations into the matter.
The discovery was made following the eviction of McKinnon from the property by the Messenger of Court.
His farm was recently gazetted and allocated to four beneficiaries under the land reform programme, but he has been refusing to vacate.
Last Friday, the High Court ordered McKinnon and his son Mark to vacate.
It is suspected that McKinnon could have hidden several other guns, including AK47 assault rifles, which he was keeping for unknown reasons at the farm house.
Police only discovered four rifles at his house and there were no documents to support the farmer's ammunition business.
Police sources said when the Messenger of Court arrived at the house, McKinnon used the back door to stash some of the weapons in his vehicle and hid them at an unknown place in the city.
The ammunition making machine, which had some gun powder and cartridges were in one of the rooms in the house. Some of the cartridges were packed in small boxes, while others were scattered in the room.
Several cartridges for AK47 assault rifles and other unidentified rifles were also in the room.
In 2006, police discovered an arms cache at Peter Hitschman's house in Mutare, which included an AK47 rifle, four FN rifles, seven Uzis, 19 pistols and revolvers, 11 shotguns and an assortment of ammunition.
The dangerous weapons were allegedly meant to commit acts of banditry, insurgency, sabotage, and terrorism.
Source - the herald
