Mash Central lawyer masterminds robbery

Mt Darwin based Advocate Elatone Bonongwe, a senior partner at Bonongwe and Partners legal
firm, has been remanded in custody following his arrest for masterminding a robbery in Mt Darwin
last week.

Bonongwe was nabbed last Saturday for allegedly hiring hitmen that left Pfura RDC engineer Emson
Chitsungo severely injured after executing his plan.

He appeared at the Bindura magistrate court yesterday facing robbery allegations.
The State represented by Garudzo Ziyadhuma alleged that, sometime in October the lawyer planned
to rob Chitsungo.

To execute his plan, Bonongwe reportedly approached Musa Gandi of Budiriro in Harare and tasked
him to mobilise hitmen to attack the engineer at his residence in Mupfure Heights, Mt Darwin.
Gandi assembled a team of eight and on October 25, proceeded to Mt Darwin in a Toyota Sienta
where they allegedly met Bonongwe at Redan Service Station.

It is alleged that, Bonongwe showed the gang Chitsungo’s residence before parting ways.
At around 12.30am, Gandi and his team arrived at Chitsungo’s residence, scaled over the precast
wall and broke into his house using metal bars.

While inside, they punched and kicked Chitsungo’s six member family. One of them pressed a hot
iron on Chitsungo’s buttocks demanding money.

The team ransacked the whole house and got away with clothes, portable electric household
properties as well as US$1 600 cash.

The hit squad was however nabbed at a police roadblock along the Harare- Mukumbura road, close
to Mazowe Inn.

Four of the eight bolted out of the car as soon as it stopped and are still on the run.
Their car was searched and police found an AK47 bayonet knife and sharp metal rods before
arresting the remaining quartet.

Upon questioning, the four divulged that they had robbed Chitsungo before implicating their
mastermind, Bonongwe.

On his arrest, police came across mobile WhatsApp messages leading to the robbery.
The engineer lost property and money estimated at US$30 000.

Property worth around US$21 000 was recovered when the four were arrested.

Police have since appealed for information that may lead to the location and arrest of the other four
on the run.

Bonongwe will be back in court on November 13.