By James Muonwa l Mashonaland West Correspondent
A GANG of six robbers which had gained notoriety for breaking into and ransacking premises in and around Chinhoyi, has appeared in court on several counts of robbery and unlawful entry.
The machete-wielding robbers were Monday denied bail when they appeared before Provincial Magistrate Langton Ndokera at Chinhoyi Court Complex
Accused persons namely, Prince Dube (23), Maxwell Karoterote (28), Dennis Tshuma (24), Lloyd Makiwa (28), Maxwell Arozho Adamson Sikanyika (36) and Tinashe Gandawa (27) were remanded in custody to February 14 for routine remand.
The State, led by prosecutor Tafadzwa Rwodzi, is preferring four counts of robbery and unlawful entry.
Court heard on December 28, 2022, around 7pm, the gang proceeded to Muvhami business centre and broke into a shop where they stole solar equipment and an assortment of electrical gadgets before fleeing in a Honda Fit vehicle.
On January 14 this year, accused persons allegedly went to Plot 7, Golden Kopje in Chinhoyi using a silver Honda Fit registration AFS9116 and descended on complainants, who were sleeping in a shack.
In the midst of the commotion, the occupants bolted in different directions and the gang ransacked the shack, getting away with US$500, 10 grams of gold amalgam, and cellphones.
It is alleged that on the same night around 2am, the robbers proceeded to Matoranjera business centre in Zvimba, where they assaulted Ropafadzo Hove and Wellington Mupandaguta with logs while demanding cash and valuables.
Complainants surrendered US$40, ZW$40 00, and cellphones.
The assailants ransacked the bar and took two crates of Castle lager, 12×750 Gold Blend whiskey, 20kg maize seed, 30kg soya beans and a car tyre, before jumping into their getaway car and fled the scene.
On January 16, the six struck at Ngoroma village in Mhangura where the complainant was sleeping with his two wives.
The complainant surrendered keys to his Nissan Note vehicle from where the robbers took US$1 000 stashed in the dashboard. They also stole an assortment of clothes packed in a suitcase, a sewing machine and cellphones before driving away in the complainant’s vehicle which they later dumped near the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Mhangura depot.
Prosecution also averred on January 22 this year, around 6pm at Avlone Park shopping centre situated along Chinhoyi -Chegutu highway, gang pounced on a shop and stole an HP laptop, two plate gas stove and various groceries, including boxes of cooking oil and washing powder.
The following day, detectives got a tip off that Makiwa was in possession of stolen grocery items and acting on the information, cops busted accused person leading to recovery of stolen groceries.
Upon his arrest, Makiwa implicated Dube, Karoterote, Tshuma, Sikanyika and Gandawa, who were then apprehended.
