Notorious robber dies in hospital

Hospital under unclear circumstances.
He had been admitted at the hospital after he was arrested for a spate of armed robberies and carjackings countrywide.
Police last week said John was one of the Shana twin brothers who used to operate with the jailed notorious armed robber Luckmore Matambanadzo.
The whereabouts of his other twin brother, Elphanet are still not known as investigations on the case continue.
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) spokesperson, Detective Inspector Augustine Zimbili confirmed John Shana’s arrest and his death.
“He died on April 13 after being admitted at Mutare Provincial Hospital after he had complained that he was feeling weak,” he said.
He could not divulge any other details on the case.
Sources close to the investigations, said sometime in February this year John and three accomplices hatched a plan to steal a lorry in Mutare.
It is alleged that he approached one of the complainants alleging that he wanted to hire his lorry to Rusape where he wanted to pick up some machinery.
The complainant agreed to the offer and along the way, during the night, the other three robbers were picked up in the Christmas Pass area.
In Rusape, it is reported that John informed the complainant that the machinery was in the Tsanzaguru area and should use an old road.
The robbers then pushed the complainant out of the vehicle, tied him to a tree before robbing him of the vehicle and disappeared.
Early this month, investigations carried out by the police led to the arrest of one of the robbers in Marondera where he was hiding.
He then led them to the arrest of the other three suspects in Mutare and Epworth.
The four accounted for more than six counts of armed robberies and carjacking. They indicated that they had sold the vehicles in neighbouring countries.
On April 12, it is alleged that John complained that he was not feeling well and was taken to the hospital where he died the following day.
According to police, the other three suspects are still in remand prison awaiting trial.
Matambanadzo is believed to have masterminded several high profile heists in and around Harare.
In December 2008, notorious armed robber Matambanadzo was jailed for an effective nine years for robbing a Harare man of a vehicle, while the twin brothers he was jointly charged with were acquitted.
Harare regional magistrate Mr William Bhila initially sentenced Matambanadzo to 12 years before conditionally setting aside three years.
The twins, John and Elphanet walked free out of court celebrating in the company of their lawyer Mr Nickel Mushangwe after their acquittal.
Matambanadzo, who was arrested mid 2007 after being on the police wanted list for four years, was found guilty of robbing a city motorist of an Isuzu KB250 vehicle at gunpoint.
After the robbery, he handed over the vehicle to John Shana and instructed him to drive it to a car sales firm in Chiredzi.
Shana invited his brother Elphanet to accompany him to Chiredzi and they were arrested at a roadblock as they approached the town.
Asked who the owner of the vehicle was, the two indicated that a man known only known as Tsano had sent them.
They then gave the police a cellphone number, which happened to be the one Matambanadzo was using.
As part of their investigations, police acquired a telephone printout of Matambanadzo’s number from the mobile phone service operator and discovered that on several occasions he communicated with his former girlfriend Chipo Muchinguri.
In August 2007, the Shana brothers and their other accomplice Gwamere Nyamapfeka were arraigned in court facing five counts of robbery of motor vehicles. They allegedly stole seven Toyota trucks and sold them in Mozambique.

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