POLICE yesterday reportedly arrested three people and shot one man dead in connection with the grisly murder of four people who were found in an abandoned Isuzu double cab vehicle in Binga last week. SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Sources last night said it was not clear whether the dead suspect was killed in a shoot-out with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Homicide crack team set up to probe and hunt down the suspected killers.
According to sources, the shooting and arrest of the four unnamed suspects occurred in Binga. A highly-placed source in Binga said the four suspects were arrested in a village close to the Ngongonyane Bridge where the murders occurred and one of the suspects was shot dead while trying to flee from police.
“Yes, we heard that four suspects were arrested today (yesterday) in the same village where the killings were committed and one of them was shot dead when he tried to run away from the police,” said the source.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday said they had issued a statement on the arrest and shooting of the suspects, but could not give details and referred Southern Eye to the police’s Press and public relations office in Harare where an officer repeatedly said this publication should call after 10 minutes.
Reports say the murdered people identified as Sithembinkosi Moyo (43), Alvin Canitious Nyirenda (28), Nkosana Mdlongwa (38) and Leo Mthulisi Ndlovu (34), all of Bulawayo, were found at Ngongonyane Bridge along Kariangwe Road with fatal gun wounds.
A villager, Robson Mudenda (39), who resides in Lumbu Village under Chief Dobola in Binga, was on his way to work on January 6 at around 8am when he came across the bodies.
Some suspects who have been named in connection with the murders were Sinola Jameson Dube (57) and his son Emmanuel Dube (30) of the same village.
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Moyo was found behind the steering wheel with two gunshot wounds to the head and chest, while his skull had been partially blown off.
She had her Motorola cell phone on her, suggesting robbery might not have been the motive. Nyirenda was found lying on the back seat with several gunshot wounds to the head and chest, while Mdlongwa was trapped under the loading box and had two gunshot wounds to the head.
Ndlovu’s body was found about 1km way from the scene. He had been beheaded.
Police sources said the skin on his head and face had been removed and his brain was missing. This has raised suspicion that the crimes could have been committed for ritual purposes.
On January 8 police picked up seven 7,62 cartridges, a 500ml plastic container with particles of brown sugar and water solution commonly used by poachers as an energy booster, and a decomposed porcupine.
