Notorious armed robber remanded in custody 

Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

A Harare suspected armed robber who broke into houses, held up the occupants at gun point, stealing their property and leaving them tied up, has been arrested and was yesterday remanded in custody until April 11 on two counts of robbery and one count of misuse of a firearm.

Cyphile Peter Chirasasa (30) appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Standford Mambanje.

On the first count, the State alleged that on July 28, 2021, at around 11pm, Mr Phillip Maricho was asleep at home in Waterfalls where he runs a tuck shop.

Chirasasa, armed with a pistol and in the company of a gang armed with machetes, broke into his house and demanded cash and valuables.

He took away US$400, 4×20 Madison packs, assorted airtime valued at US$200, a small Itel cellphone, two SQ cell phones and a Samsung S7 cellphone.

Chirasasa and his accomplices then tied Mr Maricho’s hands and legs using sellotape.

Mr Maricho later managed to untie himself and made a police report and the value of the total goods stolen was US$900 and nothing was recovered.

On the second count, the State alleges that on December 4 last year at around 7pm, Chirasasa together with his accomplices who are still at large, went to Cliffe Huni’s house in Manyame Park in Chitungwiza armed with three pistols and one shotgun.

They forced Mr Huni and his wife into the sitting room and tied their hands and legs together with a rope.

The gang demanded US$5 000 which the couple said they did not have, but they did hand over US$1 000.

The gang ransacked the house and stole a Keson radio, Itel P17 cell phone and a Huawei Y9 cell phone and they fled into the darkness.

Total value of the stolen cash and phones is US$1 320 .

On the last count, on Tuesday detectives from CID Homicide Harare received information that Chirasasa was in possession of a firearm.

Follow-ups were made and he was arrested at 1844 Stoneridge Park, Harare, where he was living.

He led detectives to the recovery of a 9mm Llama pistol serial number 726043 with a magazine of 6 live rounds and 8 loose live rounds which were placed in socks buried in a maize field in his yard, covered in plastic. He failed to produce the firearm certificates and checks made with Central Firearms Registry indicated that the firearm was stolen in Chegutu in an armed robbery.