News / Regional
Bus conductor steal passengers' bags
07 Apr 2015 at 07:10hrs | Views
A bus conductor, who is an ex-convict, will spend the next 18 months in prison after he stole bags belonging to three of his passengers.
Farai Masina, 23, of Nkayi area who is employed by Ntundu Bus Company as a bus conductor appeared before Plumtree magistrate, Gideon Ruvetsa facing three counts of theft. The bus plies the Plumtree- Bulilima route.
Masina was convicted on his own plea of guilty.
He had told the magistrate that he stole the goods as he was trying to secure goods to sell so that he could sustain his family.
"The money I earn from the bus company is not enough Your Worship and sometimes I go for several months without getting paid. I have two children who are staying with my mother in my rural home.
"I wanted to make some extra cash so I identified some passengers who had a lot of luggage. I was hiding some of their bags with the hope of acquiring items that I could sell," said Masina.
The magistrate sentenced Masina to 12 months imprisonment for the three counts of theft.
Ruvetsa had sentenced Masina to a year in jail in October 2013 for unlawful entry and theft and suspended six months of the sentence.
Masina will now serve an effective 18 months in prison after the magistrate brought into effect the six months which had been suspended in 2013.
Prosecuting, Clemence Shawarira said Masina stole goods with a combined value of R1,185 from three different passengers on separate days.
He said on March 21 Duduzile Moyo boarded Ntundu Bus on her way to Khame area.
Shawarira said upon dropping off Moyo discovered that she was missing a black satchel.
He said on March 28, Sipho Ncube boarded the same bus to Masendu area and later discovered that some of her property was missing.
"On March 30 Idah Ndlovu boarded the same bus to Masendu area and lost her bag," said Shawarira.
He said the three women who all from Bulilima District contacted the bus owner in search of their missing property.
On March 31 the bus owner told them that their valuables had been located at Masina's homestead resulting in his arrest.
Farai Masina, 23, of Nkayi area who is employed by Ntundu Bus Company as a bus conductor appeared before Plumtree magistrate, Gideon Ruvetsa facing three counts of theft. The bus plies the Plumtree- Bulilima route.
Masina was convicted on his own plea of guilty.
He had told the magistrate that he stole the goods as he was trying to secure goods to sell so that he could sustain his family.
"The money I earn from the bus company is not enough Your Worship and sometimes I go for several months without getting paid. I have two children who are staying with my mother in my rural home.
"I wanted to make some extra cash so I identified some passengers who had a lot of luggage. I was hiding some of their bags with the hope of acquiring items that I could sell," said Masina.
The magistrate sentenced Masina to 12 months imprisonment for the three counts of theft.
Ruvetsa had sentenced Masina to a year in jail in October 2013 for unlawful entry and theft and suspended six months of the sentence.
Masina will now serve an effective 18 months in prison after the magistrate brought into effect the six months which had been suspended in 2013.
Prosecuting, Clemence Shawarira said Masina stole goods with a combined value of R1,185 from three different passengers on separate days.
He said on March 21 Duduzile Moyo boarded Ntundu Bus on her way to Khame area.
Shawarira said upon dropping off Moyo discovered that she was missing a black satchel.
He said on March 28, Sipho Ncube boarded the same bus to Masendu area and later discovered that some of her property was missing.
"On March 30 Idah Ndlovu boarded the same bus to Masendu area and lost her bag," said Shawarira.
He said the three women who all from Bulilima District contacted the bus owner in search of their missing property.
On March 31 the bus owner told them that their valuables had been located at Masina's homestead resulting in his arrest.
Source - chronicle
