Two Brothers & Friend Jailed 10 Years Each For Stealing Crushed Quarry Stones Along Rail Line

MARONDERA: Two brothers and a friend have each been slapped with 10 year jail terms by a regional magistrate for stealing quarry stones from the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) in April this year.

Brothers, Forbes and Rodrick Soroti and one Jewel Matinenga of Rujeko, were recently found guilty by Magistrate Clever Tsikwa of conniving to steal quarry stones along a railway line in the town on April 19.

According to State prosecutor, Memory Mandudzo, the Soroti brothers approached Matinenga’s employer intending to hire his truck claiming they wanted to ferry some stones they had crushed and he ordered his driver (Matinenga) to transport them.

The three then loaded the stones onto the truck and made three trips to Yellow City in the same town where they sold them to one Minor Jeke.

However, a security guard at Mazongororo Syringes who was watching them informed Wiriranayi Basira, an NRZ security guard, who called police officers at Marondera Central police station.

A trap was then set by the police who managed to pounce them as they were loading the fourth consignment. However they managed to run away leaving behind the truck and their cellphones which helped investigators track them down.

The brothers pleaded not guilty, telling the court that they were not in Marondera when the crime was committed.

The court, however, found that the three were guilty having plotted the theft together.source-newzimbabwe