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Crime Reporter

The trial for the three Mupamhanga siblings — Musafare, Liberty (29) and their sister Leona (33) all from Hwedza —in which they allegedly committed three cases of unlawful entry and armed robbery targeting clothing, electrical gadgets and gas shops in the city has been set for July 23 at the Harare Magistrate court after the suspects have engaged their previous lawyer again to continue with their case.

The trial was supposed to start last Friday but the trio advised the court that they had decided to engaged their previous Harare lawyer Mr Nelson Makunyire, who also needed time to study the allegations levelled against his clients.

Some of the siblings have been arrested on several occasions before being released on bail pending appeal and then absconding.

Three of them, Liberty, Musafare and Godfrey have since been rearrested and are currently in custody while Leona is out on bail.

Liberty and Godfrey are also involved with the suspected serial armed robber and gang leader Musa Taj Abdul (47), who was finally arrested by a police crack team in Beitbridge last year after a fierce gunfight.

Taj Abdul and others suspected to be part of his gang were arrested in dramatic fashion, with dog teams playing a leading role.

Musafare Mupamhanga and his accomplices who include Spicer Takawira of Highfield and Conwell Junior Kasambarare (26) are alleged to be part of 11-member gang that raided Mashwede Holdings on April 5 last year and got away with over US$100 000, R42 000, $14 000 worth of fuel coupons, firearms and 20 live rounds of ammunition.

Investigations have so far revealed that in 2019, Musafare, Liberty and Leona were arrested in the city after committing three cases of unlawful entry and armed robbery targeting clothing, electrical gadgets and gas shops.

In one of the cases, the trio are suspected to have attacked a reaction team from a local security firm after they had broken into one of the shops in the city before disappearing.

Their luck ran out however, when a police crack team which was making a follow-up of another armed robbery case arrested Musafare, Liberty and Leona at a house in Glen Norah B.

Police then recovered some of the clothes and goods that had been stolen in some of the shops in the city.

However, before their trial commenced in March last year, Musafare and Liberty went into hiding.

Musafare and his other accomplices then raided Mashwede Holdings.

Musafare was later arrested in Murambinda, Buhera where he was staying with a girlfriend before he was transported back to the city. He has however been in and out of prison on several occasions after being released on bail.