Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. A Toyota Hilux GD6 that was stolen from Botswana was found parked at a homestead in Mbambanyika Village in Mphoengs in Plumtree.
Police in Plumtree have launched a manhunt for three suspects who outpaced a team of investigating officers and disappeared into a thicket after stealing the vehicle with P6 000 in Botswana’s Francistown.
The vehicle was left parked at an unsuspecting villager’s homestead saying it had run out of fuel, according to The Sunday News.
The three suspects have been identified as Kwanele Phuti, Prince Dube and Austin Gumbo.
They smuggled the Toyota Hilux GD6, 2.4 litres single-cab vehicle into Zimbabwe through the Ngwanyana area which is an illegal crossing point.
What happened:
Police say they received information on 31 October and around 6 am from Matsikoje Police Station in Botswana, that the vehicle had been stolen from a vehicle spare parts shop in Francistown in Botswana.
Botswana police also said the tracker was indicating that the vehicle had crossed into Zimbabwe through the Ngwanyana area, Madabe, Plumtree.
The vehicle had money amounting to P6 000, spare parts of another motor vehicle, a small air compressor and three car batteries.
A team comprising Zimbabwean police officers and Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officers was then deployed at Mphoengs Border Post to make follow-ups along Mphoengs-Plumtree and with the help of four Botswana police officers.
The team tracked the vehicle to where it was parked at Eunice Moyo’s homestand in Mbambanyika, Mphoengs.
They found two men who worked at the homestead who they interrogated on who had brought the vehicle to the homestead where they were told that Phuti and his colleagues had left the vehicle.
They pursued the suspects up to Mkgambo Business Centre.
When the suspects realised that they were being pursued, they disembarked from the vehicle they were travelling in and fled into the bush where they outpaced the officers.
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