Police in Mzimba have arrested 13 people suspected to have terrorised various parts of the district and mostly stealing cattle.
Mzimba Police spokesperson Peter Botha on Monday said they arrested a group of suspects led by Watson Jere, 37, of Timoti Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mabulabo in the district. The group is said to have terrorised areas such as Euthini, Eswazini, Edingeni, Jenda, Mquocha, Kazomba and Luwerezi.
“Jere had a gang of criminals who were stealing livestock with him in the district,” he said.
Botha said the arrests followed complaints of increased cases of cattle rustling in the district from 2017. He said police started patrolling the district day and night to intercept the suspects.
“Police intensified their patrols leading to the arrest of a driver at Thoza who was among the suspects planning to go for an operation to steal cattle. The other suspects escaped but with information from the driver we managed to arrest Watson Jere, the mastermind of the move and others,” said Botha.
The suspects have since been remanded to Mzimba Prison pending investigations. Once investigations are completed, they will answer a charge of theft of cattle.
