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Bulawayo Bureau
TWO youths here allegedly stole a US$20 000 wristwatch in Montrose suburb and sold it for $30.

The watch was part of a $1,5 million loot the pair allegedly stole during a four-month house-breaking spree in the eastern suburbs.

Cuthbert Munyandi (18) of Nketa and Joseph Gamuchirai Nyasha (20) of Sizinda allegedly prowled around suburbs that include Morningside, Hillside and Fourwinds between February and May this year, targeting electronic gadgets.

They were arrested on Tuesday after allegedly selling some of the stolen property for a song.

Munyandi and Nyasha allegedly conducted daylight burglary, mostly between 8am and 5pm when home owners were away.

The two are facing seven counts of unlawful entry and theft. In one of the raids, they got away with a Cartier wristwatch worth US$20 000.

The luxury wristwatch costs between US$3 000 and US$30 000 on sale on an online catalogue, where prices are down by up to 40 percent.

Police recovered the watch when the suspects led them on indications.

The buyer from Sizinda was apparently also unaware of the true value of the watch.

Some of the stolen property includes bicycles, a gold ring, television sets, laptops, cellphones, car batteries, computers and professional cameras.

The police have placed the value of the stolen property at approximately $1,5 million, although the street value of the watch alone is above $1 million.

Detectives recovered items valued at $900 000 following the duo’s arrest.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube yesterday said the duo would monitor houses and strike once the owners left.

“Unlike most of the house break-in incidents that we are used to, the two suspects who are friends were raiding homes during the day.

“They would monitor houses and once occupants leave, they would break-in and steal mostly electric gadgets. Of interest, in one of the raids in Montrose suburb they got away with a Cartier wristwatch worth US$20 000 and sold it for $30 on the streets,” said Insp Ncube.

He said most of the stolen property was being sold in Western suburbs for a song.

Insp Ncube warned criminals that cops are out in full force to deal with them.

He warned those with a penchant for buying second-hand goods to desist from doing so as it often leads to them buying stolen property.

Insp Ncube said those who lost property during the said period should visit the Criminal Investigations Department at Hillside Police Station for possible identification of their goods.