Euphoric scenes gripped the Bulawayo Central Police Station in the morning as members jostled to catch a glimpse of the two suspected cattle rustlers and the truck that was parked in front of the station with cattle.
Residents waited patiently while jeering obscenities
directed at the suspects outside the station.
Some took selfies, while some recorded real-time videos to
share news of the development with family and friends across the country and
beyond. Detectives who were transporting the two suspects in a police vehicle
were swarmed by residents who forced their way to take pictures.
Members of the public only scattered shortly after 9:30AM
after police transferred the suspects and the truck with cattle to a different
station.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico
Ncube confirmed the arrest of Edmore Bhibhi (49) and Farai Pambukani (28) both
from Bulawayo’s Emganwini suburb and attributed their capture to a tip-off by
an alert Insiza Rural District Council worker.
The police intercepted and arrested the duo in the wee
hours of Wednesday after they tried to use the cover of night to illegally
transport a herd of 19 cattle with an estimated value of US$7 600 to a
yet-to-be-established destination.
According to police, the council employee, (name supplied)
had just knocked off late from work on Tuesday evening and had suspicions over
a lingering truck loaded with cattle that made him confront the suspects.
“His attention was drawn to a truckload of cattle and he
decided to investigate its business in the area. He questioned the two and
asked them to produce documents to prove they were legally transporting cattle
but they told him that they would produce the documents to the police,” said
Insp Ncube.
“Thereafter, the man decided to call the police after the
two refused to co-operate and drove off. He then decided to follow them, all
the while trying to call the police in Fort Rixon to intercept them.”
He said when Bhibhi and Pambukani realised they were being
trailed, they went off road in a bid to avoid encountering police along the
Bulawayo-Harare tollgate.
“While in pursuit, the worker decided to call the police in
Bulawayo who then reacted swiftly and intercepted the truck, leading to their
capture,” said Insp Ncube.
“Upon being interrogated police discovered the vehicle had
19 head of cattle, 13 cows and six oxen.”
He commended the alert members of the public and close co-operation with the police in thwarting stock theft saying Bulawayo will never be an open market and haven for stolen cattle. Chronicle
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