MILLICENT HUNGWE
MASVINGO-The ZRP have confirmed the arrest of a 25-year-old man, Bhekimpilo Togarepi of Gwara Village, Chief Ndanga in Zaka, in connection with a string of armed robberies targeting motorists.
Togarepi was apprehended in Beitbridge following an intensive police operation after he and his accomplice, Kelvin Mudzuri, who remains at large, allegedly committed three separate carjackings in Masvingo and Beitbridge between December 5 and December 27, 2025.
In the first incident, which occurred on December 5, the two suspects posed as stranded travelers and were offered a lift by a Good Samaritan travelling from Masvingo to Gutu.
During the journey, they turned on the motorist, threatening him at gunpoint before stealing his vehicle and abandoning him by the roadside.
Undeterred, the pair struck again on December 17, using the same tactic to rob another driver, this time of a Nissan AD Van.
In a chilling act of cruelty, the victim was tied to a tree stump as the robbers fled with the car.
Their crime spree continued on December 26 when they reportedly robbed yet another motorist in Rutenga, again under the pretense of seeking transport to Beitbridge.
That stolen vehicle was later recovered, dumped in Beitbridge.
The breakthrough came a day later when detectives acted on a tip-off and tracked down Togarepi.
He was arrested in Beitbridge, while efforts to locate and arrest his accomplice Mudzuri are ongoing.
Police have urged members of the public with information on Mudzuri’s whereabouts to come forward and contact the National Complaints Desk on (0242) 703631, the PGHQ WhatsApp line on 0712 800 197, or visit their nearest police station.
Detective Inspector Rachel Muteweri, the Community Relations Liaison Officer for CID, assured the public that the police remain committed to bringing all perpetrators of violent crimes to justice.
