Murdered for $70 000 . . . Police to exhume corpse

By Samuel Kadungure

MUTARE – Police are moving in to exhume the remains of an Odzi man who was used to defraud Old Mutual of $70 000 to pave way for pathological tests to authenticate the true identity of the victim and the actual cause of death.

The latest development follows an unsolicited confession by one of the suspects, Siberty Marambwanya, of R78 Vengere, Rusape, that David Garudzo, his two brothers, Bernard and Brian – who are still fugitives from justice – allegedly murdered a drunken man at Odzi and burnt the body in a hired vehicle.

After the confession, Rusape regional magistrate Mr Livingstone Chipadza ordered a thorough probe into the matter in which David, who has since been jailed for 23 years – faked his death solely to defraud Old Mutual Funeral Services of $70 000.

He was a funeral policyholder.

Marambwanya, who was facing charges of fraud, malicious damage to property and violating a corpse to which he pleaded guilty, but denied the charge of burning the hired Toyota Spacio, told the court that the jailed David and his fugitive two brothers, Brian and Bernard, gagged the unidentified drunk man as he held back the victim’s hands.

Marambwanya also confessed accompanying David’s wife, Primerose Jecha, to Old Mutual with fake documents to claim the $70 000.

Acting CID Rusape Officer-in-Charge, Detective Assistant Inspector Murungu, said they had launched investigations to establish the identity of the person buried as David Garudzo and the actual cause of his death since there were two versions.

“We are working on an application for exhumation to the district administrator (Mr Willian Mashava) in light of the two contradicting version, the latest being that of Siberty Marambwanya, who told the court that they actually killed the person to fake the death of David Garudzo,” said Det Asst Insp Murungu.

The body was interred on July 10, 2014, in Takunda Village, Nyazura, under Chief Makoni.

The unfolding saga has since claimed the scalps of David, his wife, Primrose, Marambwanya, an unidentified mortician from Mutare Provincial Hospital and a traditional healer only identified as Chitumba.

Chitumba is being accused of harbouring criminals or alternatively defeating the course of justice by hiding David, Brian, Bernard and Jecha at his Nyabadza homestead for six months.

Brian and Bernard, whose hideout is famously known as the “Green House” in Magamba, Rusape, are fugitives from justice.

Police are appealing to members of the public for information leading to their arrest, especially Brian, who is said to be known to the deceased. Jecha has since been convicted on her own plea of guilty and is expected in court today (Friday) for sentencing.

The Toyota Spacio (ACV 8028), which was burnt together with the corpse, belonged to Mr Norman Magaya, of Rusape. The taxi-man had hired out the vehicle valued at $5 000 to the Garudzos for $25 per day. Mr Magaya said he used to hire the culprits his vehicle without problems until July 6, 2014.

“They approached me on July 6, 2014 requesting for a vehicle to hire. I told them the car should be back by 7pm, but they did not return and never communicated with me for two days. When I went to their ‘Green House’ in Magamba, I was told they were not around. I managed to get hold of David on his mobile number around mid-morning. He promised to return the car around 8pm plus $50 hiring fee for two days,” said Mr Magaya.

He said before the time lapsed, he received a call from police advising him that the car had been involved in accident and reduced to a shell.

“I attended the scene, and proceeded to the Garudzo homestead to pay my last respects after being made to believe that David was burnt to death in my car. I went to the extent of buying some food to assist since I was feeling guilty that someone died in my car. I even dug the grave, not knowing that it was a fraud.

“The funeral was classic. It was as if we were burying minister or a celebrity. David’s wife and his parents promised to compensate me, but never did. I got the shock of my life when I was told that David was alive and had been spotted driving a nice vehicle with South African registration number plates. I could not believe my eyes when I was invited to the police station where he had been leg-ironed,” said Mr Magaya.

David pleaded guilty to conniving with a mortuary attendant and stealing a corpse from Mutare General Hospital, which they later burnt and faked his death.

“We did not buy the corpse from Mutare Provincial Hospital as alleged, but Brian (Garudzo) killed a person. We met the old man who was drunk at Odzi and the Garudzo brothers took him aside. We used a piece of cloth to cover his face and Brian gagged him until he died while I was merely holding his hands. We were four of us, the Garudzo brothers — Brian, Bernard and David— and myself.

“We undressed the corpse and dressed it with the clothes belonging to David before placing it on the driver’s seat and putting its hands on the steering wheel.

“We fastened the seat belt and I was immediately tasked to go and monitor the situation from a distance to ensure no passers-by discovered the case. The three brothers then pushed the vehicle off the road and set it ablaze. I was just watching from a distance when they burnt it,” said Marambwanya. Manica Post