A RUSAPE prodigal son did the unthinkable when he teamed up
with his uncle to steal 31 cattle valued at $17 000 from his father while he
was in the United States of America.
The offence was discovered when the complainant returned
and demanded to physically inspect and count his herd.
The prime suspect Takudzwa Mufandaedza (28) was arrested on
stock theft charges alongside his uncle Brighton Chirisa (41), of Marowa
Village.
The two were not asked to plead when they appeared before
Rusape provincial magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera. Takudzwa, who is Mr Innocent
Mufandaedza’s son, appeared in court as a self-actor and was locked up in
remand prison.
Chirisa was granted $100 bail. State lawyer Mr Gift Mutigwa told the court that
the accused persons took advantage of the complainant’s absence to steal and
sell his cattle.
“The accused persons are complainant’s son and uncle,
respectively. On the date unknown to the prosecutor, but in 2016, the
complainant assigned the two to take charge of his 55 cattle.
“In 2017, on an unknown date, the two connived to sell the
cattle without the complainant’s knowledge as he was in the United States of
America. They sold 31 cattle to various buyers.
“On return from the USA to his work place in Harare
Takudzwa informed him that 20 cattle had died. On September 10, 2018 the
complainant went to his rural home and asked his son to pen all his cattle so
that he physically checks them.
“Takudzwa then went out and collected the cattle belonging
to their neighbours and presented them to his father purporting that they were
his since they had sold some of them. The complainant fell for the trick and
assumed that the cattle were his. He then gave Takudzwa 18 ear tags to brand
all the cattle for easy identification.
“When the complainant left for Harare, Takudzwa and Chirisa
released the cattle from their pen. The neighbours later discovered that their
cattle had ear tags and confronted the complainant, questioning why he had
branded them without their consent.
“It was then that the complainant discovered that his son
and uncle had sold him a dummy by misrepresenting his neighbours’ cattle as
his. He settled the matter with his neighbours,” he said.
On September 13, 2018 the complainant made a report to
Rusape police. Of the stolen 31 cattle, 11 were recovered. Value of stolen
cattle was estimated at $12 400 and $4 400 for the recovered beasts. Manica
Post
0 comments:
Post a Comment