Tendai Muererwa
Mutare – What started as an ordinary trip to Christmas Pass ended with two passengers discovering that their “taxi” had allegedly taken more than just a detour.
Four suspected robbers who allegedly used a Honda Fit to pose as public transport operators before stealing from unsuspecting passengers were arrested yesterday at Riverside, Odzi, after their latest alleged trick dramatically broke down quite literally.
The suspects, George Nenhunzi (29) of Hobhouse, Fungai Muuduri (29) of Dangamvura Destiny, Wayne Ndiweni (23) of New Dangare, Sakubva and Vincent Chele (34), also of New Dangare were arrested at about noon and are facing theft charges.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the arrests, saying the four are also being linked to several robbery cases in the province. The drama began at about 10am when John Makina (38) of West Valley, Nyazura, and Tapiwa Chiwanza (45) of Nyazura boarded the suspects’ grey Honda Fit registration number AFI 0191, at Mt Mainje bus stop.
The two passengers were reportedly heading to Christmas Pass, but their journey came to an unexpected halt at Osborne turn-off when the suspects allegedly announced that the vehicle had developed a mechanical fault and could no longer continue. The passengers were told to disembark, but after stepping out they allegedly realised that something else had “developed a fault” their mobile phones had mysteriously disappeared.
Makina had allegedly lost a Samsung A04s while Chiwanza lost a Samsung A03. Instead of simply accepting the loss, Chiwanza hired a motorbike and went after the Honda Fit, turning what was supposed to be a peaceful journey into a roadside pursuit. His determination paid off when he caught up with the vehicle at Riverside along the Mutare-Harare Highway, where the suspects had apparently suffered another problem after the car broke down.
Chiwanza demanded the return of the phones which were handed back to him. However, apparently unwilling to let the matter end there, Chiwanza alerted people at Riverside who surrounded the vehicle before police were called. Officers from ZRP Odzi quickly arrived and arrested all four suspects.
A search of the Honda Fit allegedly uncovered 11 stolen cell phones, six balaclava masks and an empty pepper-spray container, suggesting that the vehicle may have been more than an innocent commuter taxi. The suspects were taken to ZRP Odzi, where they are assisting police with investigations.
The case was recorded at ZRP Odzi and will be transferred to CID Mutare for further investigations as police probe the suspects’ alleged links to several robbery cases across Manicaland.
For the two passengers, what began as a simple ride to Christmas Pass ended with a missing phone mystery, a motorbike chase, a roadside confrontation and a police arrest while for the alleged robbers, their “taxi” business appears to have finally run out of road.
