Tendai Gukutikwa and Liberty Dube
TWO Mutare teenage lovebirds aged 15 and 16 are in trouble with the law after one of them allegedly stole a staggering US$25 000 from her sister’s husband, and spent it on luxury items, including a car, latest iPhones, and lavish gifts for her boyfriend and his mother.
The two, together with the boy’s mother, have since been arrested and await court appearance, pending police investigations.
National police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the girl (16) from Chikanga high-density suburb, allegedly stole her brother-in-law’s cash amounting to US$25 000, together with her boyfriend (15) (name withheld), before buying a Honda Fit, three iPhones and various clothing.
The boyfriend would allegedly hand over some of the cash to his mother, Munyaradzi Madzure (39) for safekeeping.
The female suspect sold herself out after she started flaunting US$100 notes on her WhatsApp status, which subsequently led her brother-in-law, Mr Kelvin Motsi, to report the matter to the police after realising that his money had gone missing.
“On March 14, at around 10am, the complainant reported a case of theft, whereby the unknown accused person stole his money amounting to US$25 000 from his suit jacket. Police attended the scene, and interviewed the complainant`s wife who stated that she suspected the juvenile (the female suspect), who is her younger sister after seeing her on her WhatsApp status counting hard cash in US$100 notes. She asked her to explain, but to no avail.
“The police interviewed the female suspect who revealed that she stole the money, together with her boyfriend on different occasions. The police proceeded to the boy’s residence, and met the accused person, who wasdriving a Toyota Axio, Registration Number AFY 4786. The police asked the accused person to produce a driver’s licence, and he failed. He was arrested.
“Accused person number three, who is the boy’s mother told the police that she allowed her son to drive the car, and was also arrested for permitting an unlicenced person to drive. The teenage lovebirds were interviewed, and revealed that they stole cash amounting to US$25 000 on different occasions from the complainant`s bedroom, and bought a maroon Honda Fit (Registration Number AFS 4391) for US$5 800 and three iPhones cellphones for US$3 000.
“They also indicated that they bought various clothing worth US$2 000. The boyfriend indicated that he gave his mother (accused three) US$5 000 for safekeeping, which she refused to hand over to the police. The vehicle and three iPhones were recovered, and are kept as exhibits. Total value stolen is US$25 000, and total value recovered is US$9 000,” said Commissioner Nyathi.
The three suspects were yet to appear in court when The Manica Post went to print.
However, when The Manica Post visited the complainant’s residence in Chikanga on Tuesday, the news crew was turned away as the woman who attended to them refused to entertain them.
“I cannot entertain you or let you talk to anyone here because I do not know you. If you need anything from us, you can just get the information from the police at Chikanga Police Station because the matter was reported there. I am sorry; go away,” she said.
However, neighbours who chose to remain anonymous told The Manica Post that the teenager had undergone a significant transformation.
“She used to be a very quiet person, but of late had become flamboyant, posting pictures of herself with large sums of money on her WhatsApp status. We all wondered how, and why she had changed so suddenly. She was posting WhatsApp status of herself displaying money. We thought it was just fake money, but it turned out to be her brother-in-law’s money, which she had stolen and was squandering with her boyfriend and his mother,” said a neighbour.
The Manica Post visited the boyfriend’s residence in Area 15, Dangamvura, on Wednesday morning, but no one responded to knocks on the gate.
However, neighbours who spoke to this publication revealed that the boy’s life had taken a sudden turn for the better.
“We noticed significant changes in his lifestyle. Despite his young age, he was driving a new Honda Fit, and would buy us drinks, although he did not drink. His WhatsApp status was flooded with pictures and videos of him flaunting cash and goodies. He was clearly infatuated with the girl, who was showering him with large sums of money. To be honest, some of us thought he had turned to juju or wealth-enhancing charms,” said one of his close friends, who requested anonymity.
Another neighbour, who also chose to remain anonymous, described the boy as someone who loved the finer things in life.
“He was not a problematic child, but he had a penchant for nice things. We were not surprised when we saw him with expensive phones and wearing nice clothes. He was even driving around with the girl in a car with loud music blasting from the speakers,” said the neighbour.
