CHEGUTU – OWEN Dodo was so certain that nothing would befall him when he
decided to leave his cell phone charging while bathing early last week.

But after he finished bathing, he realised he had made a costly miscalculation.
Apparently, someone sneaked in while he was bathing and helped himself to the cell
phone, an Itel handset, valued at more than US$20.

Thrown into disarray, after discovering his loss, Dodo decided to do what everyone
in such circumstances does – call his mobile number.

He was unprepared for the next surprise. After borrowing his wife’s cell phone so he
could call his missing handset, he was answered by someone who told him brazenly
that he was on his way to sell the handset so that he could get his daily fix of drug
and substances!

The cheeky thief later sent his victim mocking and derogatory messages through the
stolen device.

It is outrageous that someone could steal my cell phone for the love of mutiriro.
Ndakatonzi ndanzwa butter nembavha iyoyo. Akati aitova munzira kunotengesa
phone yangu kuti ambonwa zvake mutoriro. He promised to call me back.

“As I see it, anofanira kunge ari munhu wepedyo pedyo because akatoti anoziva
mafambiro angu nenguva dzandinosvika pamba ndichibva kubasa. I was taunted,
teased and mocked. Some of the language used is not suitable for the public,
explained Dodo.

Dodo said he was not going to make any police report elaborating that he will see
what to do himself.

We have got our own Ndunge in Chegutu. I am going to sort that thief inside out
nekuti ndamunokora tsoka dzake, threatened Dodo.

If Dodo makes good his threat against the cell phone thief, both the thief and the
eventual buyer of the stolen handset might live to regret the transaction; the thief
might sober up for once, or alternatively he might have bought his one-way ticket to
purgatory, while the unsuspecting buyer might rue the day he decided to buy the
device from the mutoriro-craving thief.

Several people are losing gadgets to thieves on daily basis in this agricultural and
mining town.

A 17-year-old boy was recently caught red-handed with a stolen TV set, which he
could not account for. He was thoroughly beaten up by members of the public and let
go after the owner took back her set.

Recently, another victim, Morris Chingomwa, lost a brown bag containing a passport,
a bank card and driver’s licence and other important documents when thieves broke
into his car.

The love of illicit drugs has forced young people to engage in criminal activities in
order to support their drug habit.