Tendai Muererwa
Mutare-A 71 year old village head from Buhera and his wife were left traumatised after four suspected robbers stormed their home in the dead of night and robbed them of US$2 050 in cash before locking them inside their bedroom and fleeing.
Manicaland provincial police acting spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the incident and said three suspects have since been arrested, while a fourth suspect remains on the run. He urged members of the public to shun criminal activities and instead earn an honest living warning that police will continue pursuing offenders until they are brought to justice.
The incident occurred in the early hours of July 12, 2026, at Bhadharai Village under Chief Nyashanu in Buhera. The complainants are Timothy Mabviregudo (71), the village head of Bhadharai Village and his wife Alice Masungo (66).
According to police the couple had retired to bed at around 8:30pm. At about 12:30am, four suspects forced their way into the house. The intruders threatened the elderly couple and ordered them to remain silent. One of the suspects instructed Mabviregudo to remain lying on the bed while another tightly restrained Masungo by holding her hands. The gang demanded cash and searched the bedroom.
The robbers first took US$50 that was hidden beneath a mattress before insisting that they knew Alice Masungo had recently sold groundnuts and was keeping more money in the house. One of the suspects then searched beneath a pillow and took a satchel containing US$2 000 in cash. After stealing the money, the gang fled the scene, locking the elderly couple inside their bedroom from outside.
At around 5am, villagers responded after learning of the robbery and rescued the couple. They followed footprints left by the suspects, which led them to Wadzenenga Bus Stop. While tracking the suspects, villagers received information that four men matching the descriptions had boarded a Phil and Phats bus travelling to Harare. The matter was reported at ZRP Murambinda, whose officers immediately alerted ZRP Beatrice.
Police intercepted the bus at the Beatrice roadblock and arrested three suspects identified as Tatenda Tokotore (32), of Bhadharai Village and a son to Timothy Mabviregudo’s younger brother, Crispen Zhemu (26) of Gororo Village and Kassim Jali (23) of Epworth, Harare. The fourth suspect had reportedly disembarked from the bus earlier in Murambinda and is still being sought by police.
During investigations, police recovered US$1 013 from the arrested suspects. Officers also recovered a blue Buffalo bicycle, which the suspects allegedly confessed had been stolen from the homestead of Blessing Makanje. The total value of property stolen was US$2 050, of which US$1 013 has been recovered.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka appealed to members of the public to report suspicious activities promptly and warned that those who engage in robbery and other criminal activities will face the full wrath of the law. Police investigations are continuing, while efforts to arrest the remaining suspect are underway.
