Police Placed Robbery Suspect In Coffin: Lawyer

Six suspected armed robbers have appeared in a Beitbridge regional court facing three counts of armed robbery including a heist staged on a detour along the Beitbridge-Harare road where they made off with R167 000.

The robbers, all Beitbridge locals are believed to be responsible for a spate of robberies that rocked the shipping town from last year.

They are believed to have attacked acquaintances and at times used their knowledge of deals in the town to hit those behind financial activities and cigarettes dealers. But by day they mingled with everyone innocently.

One of their lawyers claimed his clients were tortured and put in a coffin to induce submission and confession.

Muchihwande Forbes Sithole representing James Ndou and Ngonidzashe Dzumbunu, charged together with Brilliant Gibbons, Reluctance Muleya and Siphelani Urayayi, said detectives tortured his clients in several ways.

“The accused were assaulted and tortured with different objects including pairs of pliers to pinch his (Ndou) ears. He, like others was also beaten under his feet. I want to draw the court’s attention to that Ndou was placed in a coffin described as cold as a refrigerator and asked to relieve himself in the same,” said Sithole.

He was addressing the court on the complaints his client had against the police and said with the firearm pointed at his head, he was asked to relieve himself in the coffin.

“I might fail to pronounce the names but there were seven plain clothes policemen who assaulted Ndou. I will name some of the culprits as detectives Mulika, Kajese, Shirichena. Can the court order an investigation and also that all accused have access to a medical doctor who should make a report to be produced in court,” Sithole asked.

Gibbons, Muleya, Ndou, Dzumbunu and Urayayi are accused of a series of armed robberies committed within Beitbridge in the last six months.

On September 23 last year, they allegedly raided Loice Moyo of 4612 Mangavha in Dulivhadzimo and robbed her of R3 100 at gunpoint. They also took her mobile phones and left.

The following month on October 2, the team approached Panganai Sithole, Perfect and Percy Nago of 9630 SDP in Dulivhadzimo and forcibly took US$1 215 and R26 400. One of them shot Percy Nago prior to the robbery, it is alleged. They also took several mobile phones.

On November 3, they staged a road heist and robbed R167 000 from Naison Mabanga, a Glow Petroleum employee transporting the cash to Masvingo.

On that occasion Dzumbunu allegedly supplied the other four with information that their target Mabanga was leaving Beitbridge and they cornered him in a detour near Lutumba in broad daylight.

They attacked him with pepper spray after wielding firearms to forcibly stop him before taking the satchel with cash.

The five were arrested on January 15 following leakage of their information of the alleged activities.

They were remanded in custody to February 3.

Gibbons later appeared in a separate case where he is accused of robbery allegedly committed with Tapiwanashe Bhebhe on October 23, 2023.

They allegedly fired a shot and hit the door of a vehicle driven by Forward Gundugwa from whom they took R500. They fled after their victim’s neighbour came to the rescue