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Noah Pito in Hurungwe
Robert Tichareva (46), the Hurungwe businessman implicated in the beheading of a 40-year-old woman from Headman Matau’s area two months ago, has been released on $50 bail by the High Court.

Tichareva, who jointly faces murder charges with Isaac Mashonga was released from Karoi Prison last Thursday after spending over two months on remand since his arrest on July 14. Mashonga allegedly killed his sister on the instructions of Tichareva.

After his release from prison, Tichareva’s bid to travel back to his business at Zvipani Business Centre almost hit a snag after members of the public booed him and tried to block him from boarding the bus.

Among his bail conditions, Justice Chitapi ordered Tichareva to reside at Stand 70, Zvipani Business Centre and report once every last Friday of the month at ZRP Magunje between 6am and 6pm.

It is alleged that Tichareva wanted to use the head for rituals to boost his business and had promised Mashonga $4 000. It is the State’s case that on July 14, 2017 at around 2am, Mashonga went to Dadirai’s bedroom hut armed with a knife, an axe and adze. He decapitated Dadirai’s head and put it into a satchel.

After dumping the blood stained weapons in a disused blair toilet at the homestead, Mashonga allegedly proceeded to Zvipani Business Centre with the head in the satchel.

Tichareva, it is alleged, phoned Mashonga telling him to hide the head in a broken down Toyota Camry vehicle parked at his premises. After some time, it is also alleged that Tichareva ordered Mashonga to remove the head from the vehicle and hide it in the bush, 80 metres away.

Around 6am on the same day, the deceased’s mother Keredia returned from an all-night prayer session and discovered Dadirai’s headless body lying in a pool of blood in her bedroom hut. Villagers later confronted Mashonga after noticing blood stains on his jacket and he testified to killing his sister, before leading the crowd to Zvipani where he had hidden his sister’s head.

Angry villagers later stormed Tichareva’s business premises and razed his shop complex to the ground.