Foreigner Arrested After String of Car Park Thefts at Harare Shopping Centres
A man who went on a stealing spree at shopping centres in Harare has been arrested after his crimes were caught on CCTV.
The suspect, Cassian Pascal Mangombe (45), is a foreign national who entered Zimbabwe illegally. His nationality has not yet been confirmed. Police say he had already sent some of the stolen laptops to his home country by bus before his arrest.
How He Operated
Mangombe allegedly targeted parked vehicles and managed to steal over US$25,000 in cash along with laptops, passports, IDs, and other valuables.
At Village Walk Shopping Centre in Borrowdale, he broke into the car of Sharif Ahmad Elamine (26), getting away with US$2,000, two laptops (MSI and Lenovo), a Lebanese passport, and several Zambian documents, including a debit card, driving licence, work permit, and national ID. The entire incident was captured on CCTV.
On the same day, he struck again at Greenfields Shopping Centre along Samora Machel Avenue. This time, he targeted another foreign national, Shaqyong Chen (50). From his parked vehicle, Mangombe stole a bag containing US$23,000, Podhill company documents, and a Chinese passport belonging to Mojian Lin. He then fled in a Toyota Fortuner — the same vehicle used in the Borrowdale theft.
Police Confirm Three Cases
Police said Mangombe was behind three similar cases in Harare between Monday and Thursday last week.
According to police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, detectives from the CID Theft from Motor Vehicles unit received a tip-off that led them to Msasa, where they arrested Mangombe on August 22.
Nyathi explained that fuel coupons stolen days earlier at Village Walk were recovered during the arrest. He added that investigations showed the suspect had entered the country illegally and was already sending stolen property out of Zimbabwe.
Police say they have since engaged INTERPOL to help recover the laptops that were smuggled out.
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The post Foreigner Arrested After String of Car Park Thefts at Harare Shopping Centres appeared first on iHarare News.
