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Crime Reporter
POLICE believe that the 31-year-old taxi driver who was found hanging from a tree along the Harare-Bulawayo Road in Kuwadzana, Harare, on Monday morning was killed by armed robbers.
Portifa Mutera of Dzivaresekwa is suspected to have been strangled using a cord made from strands of sack fibre before being hanged on a fig tree.

Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tadius Chibanda said investigations were still in progress and the matter was now being handled by detectives from CID Homicide section.

Mutera’s vehicle, a Toyota Noah, was found 500 metres away from his body, with its windows shattered.
The unregistered vehicle was being used as a taxi and it is suspected that he could have been hired by the assailants who robbed and strangled him.

Insp Chibanda said the body was discovered by Admire Kamambo, while police were checking his vehicle which was parked along the road.
He said Mutera went missing on Sunday and relatives informed the police the following day.

“Some of the passers by first saw the vehicle and became suspicious,” said Insp Chibanda. “They made a report to the police who went to the scene. While police were trying to establish the owner of the vehicle, that is when the body was discovered hanging from a tree.”
Insp Chibanda said they managed to identify the body according to the description given by Mutera’s relatives.

Police have expressed concern over cases in which people are kidnapped and robbed after being offered lifts in and around the city.
Pirate taxi drivers have of late also been falling victim to the robbers.

At least 3 499 people were kidnapped and robbed by pirate taxi drivers countrywide in the first half of this year, while 284 others fell prey to armed robbers.

The situation is more critical in Harare where at least 1 200 cases of kidnap and robbery by pirate taxi drivers were recorded in the past four months alone, with most of the victims being offered lifts in and around the city. Last month, over 24 suspects were arrested in separate incidents in Harare on allegations of committing a number of robberies, some armed.