IN an unusual theft case that left villagers in Chipinge
stunned, a 45-year-old man from Mabheka stole a 2 500-litre JoJo plastic water
tank, dug a deep hole in his garden and concealed the loot.
For nearly two years, the owner of the stolen tank and
detectives struggled to recover it with no tangible leads to solve the case.
The matter only came to light recently after a
whistleblower tipped the police that Maxwell Chaita, who lives near Gomondoni
Mountain, stole the tank and hid it underground in his garden.
Circumstances to the case were that sometime in June 2017,
the tank, which was mounted and filled with water at Enhook Estate in Chipinge,
was dismantled and stolen.
Chipinge CID spokesman Detective Assistant Inspector Daniel
Mhini said concerted efforts to recover the stolen property yielded nothing
then.
“On November 15, detectives received information that the
suspect was the culprit who stole the JoJo tank and concealed it underground in
his field about 50 metres from his homestead,” he said.
“Detectives swiftly reacted to the information and pounced
at Chaita’s homestead and demanded a search in his field. Guided by the
informative description of the homestead, the detectives examined the
environment of the homestead and discovered a spot of red subsoil surrounded by
black top soil. The cops became suspicious and asked for help from nearby
villagers who quickly offered to assist,” said the detective
They dug up the spot and after about a depth of 15cm they
discovered the water tank. Soon after the stunning recovery a manhunt for the suspect
was activated.
He was subsequently arrested and during interrogation
Chaita confessed to stealing the water tank.
He said he wanted to mount it at his rural home in
Birchenough Bridge and that he intended to transport it after 10 years when
residents would have lost memory of the theft.
Chaita appeared at the Chipinge Magistrates’ Courts facing
theft charges and was remanded in custody awaiting trial. Manica Post
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