daniel chigunwe
Muchaneta Chimuka
In a daring operation, two police officers, Constable Jumuseni and Sergeant Makina, hid in a storm drain to catch a suspected thief who had been on the run for a week.
Tendai Mawire, 30, escaped from lawful custody at Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Court, despite being handcuffed.
Mawire’s week-long evasion came to an end when the police received a tip-off about his whereabouts in Zengeza 1. The officers laid an ambush, hiding in a nearby storm drain, and pounced on Mawire when he entered the yard.
The suspect attempted to resist arrest, threatening the officers with a pair of scissors. However, the brave cops remained steadfast, and Mawire was eventually subdued and taken into custody.
Mawire was one of two accused people who escaped from lawful custody at Chitungwiza Magistrates’ Court last week.
They were in handcuffs but, somehow, they managed to find a way to escape.
The incident occurred on Thursday last week when the accused were due to appear in court for unlawful entry and theft.
As the investigations officer was processing their papers, the two took advantage of the lapse and disappeared from the court.
For Mawire the escape from justice is over.
Harare Police Spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed his arrest after police officers ambushed him in Zengeza.
He was arrested on Wednesday.
“On January 29, at around 5 pm, St Mary’s Police arrested an accused person Tendai Mawire (30) of House number 64, Dengu Street, Zengeza 1, Chitungwiza, for escaping from lawful custody.
“On the 23rd day of January 2025, at around 1030hrs and at Chitungwiza Magistrates court, Mawire and Alex Mubayi of House number 4 Mbira Street, Zengeza 2, escaped from lawful custody at Chitungwiza Magistrates Court,” he said.
Inspector Chakanza said they were facing two different cases of theft.
“When they were at the courthouse, the two accused persons, who were jointly handcuffed by a single pair of handcuffs on each hand, were instructed to sit on a bench whilst the officer was having the cases vetted by the prosecutors.
“They took advantage of the situation and escaped from the courtroom unnoticed,” he said.
Chakanza said on Wednesday, at around 1600 hrs, an informer tipped off the police that Mawire had been seen in Zengeza 2 area, heading to Zengeza 1, and police officers carried out surveillance.
“They got information of his usual hideout in Zengeza 1, at House number 17 Dahuna Road, and they proceeded and laid an ambush for the accused person.
“After an hour of the ambush, at around 1700 hrs, the accused person was seen walking along Dahuna Road in Zengeza 1 and, when he got into the yard at House number 17 Dahuna Street, the police officers, who were hiding in a nearby water drain, emerged and pounced on him.
“Upon arrest, the accused person tried to resist and produced a pair of scissors threatening to stab the police officers but no one was injured.“However, the accused person was finally apprehended and was immediately taken into custody,” he said.
