Two robbers from Chipinge stripped a woman naked and tied her together with her husband to a tree before looting the couple’s vehicle of money and other valuables.
The robbers Tapiwa Mbirimi (27) and Tonderai Mbirimi (33) who are brothers from Gaza Township, Chipinge even had the guts to order the couple to telephone to get someone to bring more money on the guise that the two had a problem with their car.
Grace Manzunzu brought $1 300 to the 80km peg along Mutare – Masvingo Road where Shupikai Gwandiziba and her husband Kasma Nhemachena had been abducted but the robbers took the money and disappeared.
The robbers were slapped with six years jail each after appearing before Masvingo Magistrate Victor Mohammed.
Gwandiziba and Nhemachena stay in Aphiri in Masvingo. Nhemachena is employed by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare at Benjamin Vurombo Building, Masvingo.
James Murambiza representing the State said that on February 8, 2015 at 12pm, the complainants were travelling along Masvingo-Mutare road driving a Red Toyota vehicle when the vehicle developed a fault.
The husband was driving and he pulled off the road to sort out the problem. The two accused approached them from the bush armed with logs and ordered Gwandiziba and Nhemachena to open their motor vehicle so that they could search the vehicle.
The complainants resisted resulting in Mbirimi brothers assaulting the complainants with the logs all over the body and a fight ensued.
Gwandiziba who was sat at the passenger seat disembarked in a bid to assist her husband who was being attacked by the accused, but Tapiwa Mbirimi attacked her. Tapiwa realised that he was overpowered and produced an Okapi knife and stabbed Gwandiziba on the chest, finger and thigh.
The accused then force marched the complainants into the bush where they tied the hands of their victims and instructed Gwandiziba to remove her clothes since they were blood stained.
They then stole $100, one Samsung GT- 1205 and a Nokia Asher cell phone belonging to Gwandiziba and $20 and Nokia E75 cell phone from Nhemachena.
Mbirimi returned from the vehicle and demanded for some more money and continued assaulting Nhemachena.
Gwandiziba told the two accused that she had money at home and she phoned Grace Manzunzu to collect cash from her house and bring it to the scene purporting that they had a breakdown.
Manzunzu brought $1 300 which was taken by Gwandiziba who then handed over the money to the Mbirimi brothers.
The two accused then released the complainants and disappeared into the bushes.
The robbers were arrested at Nyika Growth Point.
Magistrate Victor Mohammed slapped the two brothers with six years imprisonment and suspended two years for five years on condition of good behaviour.