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Crime Reporter

One of the suspected habitual armed robbers, Kudakwashe Choga believed to have been part of a group of criminals operating from South Africa who was early this month seriously injured following a shootout with a police crack team after being cornered in Harare’s Highfield suburb has been arrested.

During the shootout, Choga managed to flee fom a Police Crack Team in Highfield after sustaining some injuries.

Investigations carried out this week led to his arrest in St Marys, Chitungwiza where he was hiding at his girlfriend’s house.

The girlfriend and another relative have since been arrested for harbouring a criminal and assisting Choga with medication.

Sources close to the investigations said Choga will appear in court today while the girlfriend and the relative are still assisting police with investigations.

His other accomplice, Abel Marufu Mukandawire (40) of Unit J, Seke in Chitungwiza, recently appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera charged with robbery, rape and aggravated indecent assault.

Mukandawire, allegedly raped one of the victims, forced her mother to perform oral sex on him, before defecating in a bucket of mealie meal during a robbery in 2019.

Choga and Mukandawire are alleged to have been part of the seven people who robbed the family of a Mercedes Benz vehicle into which they loaded property they had stolen from the victims before driving off.

Prosecutor Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti said on October 6, 2019, Mukandawire and Choga teamed up with Francis Hazangure, Blessing Gamanya, Edmore Marwizi Mapuranga and Roy Mutemagazi armed with weapons and went to the victim’s house at around midnight.

They gained entry into the house after breaking the kitchen door and woke up the complainants before they force-marched them into the lounge where they ordered them to lie facing downwards.

The court heard that Mukandawire took the girl to the bathroom where he allegedly raped her.

Mr Mutsokoti alleged that some of Mukandawire’s accomplices took the girl’s mother to a storeroom where one of them inserted his fingers into her privates.

Mukandawire is alleged to have followed into the storeroom where he forced the girl’s mother to perform oral sex on him.

The robbers allegedly stole cellphones, US$4 110, $700 and other household property which they loaded into the family’s car and drove off.