Flashy lifestyle gives away ‘Choppies burglar’

By Nqobile Tshili

BULAWAYO – A sudden flashy lifestyle of a Sizinda man raised suspicions in the poor neighbourhood resulting in his arrest for allegedly being one of the burglars who hit Bellevue Choppies supermarket and stole over $16,000.

Three burglars broke into Bellevue Choppies supermarket on Sunday last week and got away with $16,000; R6,700 and P1,500.

Witness Hlongwane, 29, was arrested after his neighbours got suspicious of his new found wealth. Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango said:

“We’ve arrested one of the suspected burglars. He was arrested following a tip-off from members of the public. Members of the public said they witnessed a drastic change in his lifestyle.

“Residents said he was now buying flashy things and had bought a Honda Fit making members of the public suspicious,” said Insp Simango.

She said $1,100 and R2,228 was recovered from the suspect.

Insp Simango said Hlongwane is suspected to have committed the crime in the company of two Botswana nationals who are on the run.

She said the two suspects are Phule Nkhatha and another one identified only as Tumelo.

Insp Simango appealed to members of the public who may have information that can lead to the arrest of the duo to come forward.

The burglars are said to have used shears to cut through the roof of the supermarket.

The trio who were wearing masks were captured on the giant supermarket’s close circuit television.

Choppies supermarket workers realised that the shop had been pounced on when they reported for duty on Monday morning.

In recent months, several burglary incidents have been reported in Bulawayo, with some syndicates targeting schools. Choppies supermarkets have been targeted too.

Police have made repeated calls to the business community to desist from keeping large sums of money in their premises as this exposed them to burglars. The Chronicle