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Daniel Chigunwe Herald Correspondent

Police in Mashonaland Central province has intensified the fight against stock theft and are warning rustlers to be prepared to face a nine-year jail term for every beast stolen.

This follows the recent interception of a Toyota Wish vehicle that was stashed with deboned cattle stolen from a farmer, Mr Givemore Munjeri of Plot No 47 in Concession, Mazowe District.

Provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Milton Mundembe, revealed that investigations are still ongoing after identifying the owner of the vehicle which evaded a police roadblock at Concession crossroads and was later found dumped in a nearby bush.

“On 3 March, around 3 am, our district anti-stock theft police were on a roadblock conducting early morning raids enforcing a no-to-stock theft campaign at Concession crossroads along the Mazowe-Centenary road, they then signaled a grey Toyota vehicle to stop but it ignored the signage and evaded the block prompting them to alarm their colleagues who were at Mazowe police station.

“The other team started patrolling towards the direction in a bid to intercept the vehicle and whilst they were at Belfort Farm, they then noticed a stationary vehicle dumped some five metres away from the highway with no occupants, they scanned the area in the hope of locating the owner until they searched the car,” said Inspector Mundembe.

After the search, the police discovered six brown sacks which were packed with fresh meat, including offals, hind and rear legs of the deboned cattle and four blood-stained knives.

The right front wheel of the vehicle had a puncture which is suspected to be the reason the suspected rustlers had to dump the vehicle.

“Checks were later made and we managed to identify the owner of the stolen big brown ox, Mr Givemore Munjeri of Plot No 47 in Concession, he managed to identify the cattle through the hooves and the head.

“Investigations are underway but we now know the owner of the vehicle who is being interrogated but we managed to recover all the meat.”

Meanwhile, police have called on anyone with information on butcheries receiving stolen meat or rustlers, at the same time sending a stern warning against these criminals.

“If someone is arrested he will suffer the music to the tune of nine years per each beast, so we encouraging all rustlers to desist, our village anti-stock theft committees are hard on the ground and let it be known that here in Mash Central we have no room for cattle rustlers.

“Through the engagements we are conducting within our communities, we are seeing that it is paying some dividends,” said Inspector Mundembe.