Abdul, gang appear in court on fresh charges

By Daniel Kachere

Harare Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti has remanded suspected notorious armed robber, Musa Taj Abdul (47) alias Salim Rahman, in custody after denying him bail together with seven accomplices on a fresh charge of armed robbery.
This came after Abdul was granted bail by the High Court this week, causing a massive public outcry that led prosecutor-general Kumbirai Hodzi to suspend his junior, Tapiwa Kasema.
Before Abdul and accomplices could post bail money, new charges were added to their growing list of crimes, thus keeping them behind bars.
Abdul is charged together with Liberty Mupamhanga (29), Prince Makodza (31), Godfrey Mupamhanga (27), Charles Lundu (47), Rudolf Kanhanga alias Taps Munatsi (29), Innocent Jairos (32 and Tapiwa Mangoma (27).
Prosecuting, Idah Maromo told the court that on 23 July 2019, the accused persons planned to rob Murwisi supermarket at Murambinda Growth Point in Buhera, which is owned by Andrew Murwisi.
They armed themselves with unidentified pistols and metal bars which they used to force entry into the building. While inside, they confronted Murwisi, pointed a firearm at him and demanded cash and valuables.
Acting in common purpose, they struck him with the metal bars to induce him into surrendering his property.
The gang took his Galaxy S7 cell phone, Samsung Galaxy A7 Plus cell phone, a Noringo pistol, cash amounting to US$5 000, ZAR2 000 and Z$5 000.
After dispossessing him they allegedly fired shots into the air and jumped into their high-powered getaway car, driving away at high speed.
Police attended the scene and took the spent cartridges as exhibits for ballistic testing. The gang’s luck ran out as the cartridges matched one of the pistols they were found in possession of when they were cornered in Beitbridge this year.
Maromo opposed bail stating that the gang had several pending cases that were before the courts which are at various stages of prosecution and there were no prospects that they would attend the proceedings once granted bail.
She stated that members of the gang were of no fixed abode as they had all relocated to South Africa and had jumped the border when they were eventually caught planning another heist in Beitbridge.
Further, the court heard that they would likely interfere with evidence and investigations as some of the weapons they used during their spate of robberies were yet to be recovered.
Magistrate Muchuchuti remanded them to 30 December 2020 for routine remand.
Some of their pending cases before the courts will also be heard on the same day. Nhau/Indaba