Staff Reporter

A man behind a spate of housebreaking incidents in Kwekwe has been arrested after police received a tip-off that he was selling goods believed to have been stolen.

Goddy Mashoko was apprehended on Wednesday in Mbizo after a police team tracked him to his girlfriend’s residence, where he was allegedly conducting illegal sales of household items.

Acting Officer in Charge for Mbizo, Inspector Etwell Ngara, confirmed the arrest and the recovery of a significant quantity of property.

“We arrested Goddy Mashoko and we recovered property worthy US$12 000. We got information that he was selling household goods and we dispatched a team as we suspected that the items were stolen. He was arrested and he led police to the recovery of the property,” said Inspector Ngara.

Police say the recovered items include televisions, beds, a refrigerator, gas cylinders and clothing, among other household goods.

Mashoko is alleged to have carefully planned the break-ins by monitoring residents’ movements before hiring a truck, forcibly entering their homes, and loading the stolen property.

“Upon interrogation he revealed that he would survey houses, track the movements of potential victims before hiring a truck and force entry into the houses before stealing the property,” Inspector Ngara said.

He added that Mashoko is still assisting police with further investigations and the possible recovery of additional stolen goods.

Inspector Ngara urged residents who have lost property in recent months to come forward and check if their belongings are among those recovered.