POLICE in Bulawayo have arrested two serial copper cables
thieves after using sniffer dogs to fish the two men out of a manhole while
busy cutting TelOne cables.
One of the suspects has since appeared in court and was
sentenced to 70 years in jail over the US$20 000 copper theft case.
The two men were moving around the city’s suburbs stealing
copper cables from TelOne underground inspection and maintenance manholes.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said
the two men, Pardon Sibanda (35) and Bishop Muleya (33) both of Bellevue suburb
were arrested last week after they were caught stealing the cables in Burnside.
“We arrested two suspects in Hillside area for destroying the material used for
telecommunications. This was after our officers who were on patrol in Hillside
area on May 2 at around 8PM spotted a car, Honda Fit parked in a secluded
area,” he said.
Insp Ncube said when a police officer got closer to the
car, it sped off.
“On arrival at the scene, police were led to a TelOne
manhole by sniffer dogs and found Pardon Sibanda hiding. He jumped out of the
hole and tried to flee but he was apprehended,” he said.
Police also arrested Muleya who was hiding in the bush near
the manhole and they recovered a hacksaw, hammer and pair of pliers.
Insp Ncube said the two men stole 231 metres of copper
cables on seven different occasions.
Sibanda was on Friday convicted by Bulawayo regional magistrate
Mr Mark Dzira of cutting, damaging and removing telecommunication lines
belonging to a telecommunication licencee in violation of a section of the
Postal and Telecommunication Act.
He was sentenced to 70 years in jail of which 20 years were
suspended for five years on condition that he does not within that period
commit a similar offence.
Sibanda will therefore serve an effective 50 years
imprisonment.
Prosecuting, Mr Simbarashe Manyiwa said between February
and April this year, the accused person hatched a plan to steal TelOne copper
cables.
On February 16 during the night, Sibanda proceeded to
Donnington industrial area in Bulawayo where he forced open a lid covering
TelOne manhole, gained entry and cut two metres of underground copper cables
and left unnoticed. The court heard that a week later, Sibanda went to an area
at corner North Leach and Wellington Drive in Bellevue.
“On February 27 during the night, the accused person forced
open a TelOne manhole to gain entry and cut two metres of copper cables and
left,” said Mr Manyiwa.
The following day, Sibanda went to Barham Green suburb
where he cut three metres of underground copper cables before proceeding to
Greenhill and stole another three metres of wire from the underground cable
chambers.
“On March 7, the accused person went to Balfour Road near
Siyepambili Drive flyover in West Sommerton in Bulawayo and stole another five
metres of underground copper cables. On April 5 during the night, Sibanda went
to Nketa Drive in Emganwini where he stole half a metre of underground copper
cables,” said Mr Manyiwa.
The court heard that on April 12 at night, Sibanda
proceeded to Hillside suburb where he forced open a TelOne manhole, got in and
cut five metres of underground copper cables and went unnoticed.
On May 2 at night, Sibanda was arrested together with an
accomplice while trying to steal copper cables in Burnside.
On being quizzed by police he revealed that he committed a
series of similar offences and led investigators to the scenes of crime. The
value of the stolen property is US$27 414 and nothing was recovered.
Meanwhile, Zesa, through its subsidiary the Zimbabwe
Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), has invited
whistle-blowers to curb the upsurge in vandalism and theft of electricity
infrastructure witnessed in the last few months.- Chronicle
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