By Simbarashe Sithole

A 35-YEAR-OLD Guruve man was last week brought to court for masquerading as a gold seller before attacking a gold buyer with a machete, stealing the victim’s money and property in the process.

Forget Gwena, of Museka village under Chief Chipuriro in Guruve, pleaded not guilty before magistrate Artwell Sanyaytwi, who remanded him in custody to May 13 for trial.

The State alleges that on February 12, Gwena and his eight accomplices, who are still at large, called Timothy Mutanda on his mobile phone and told him they were selling gold.

Mutanda was attracted by the offer and drove to Guruve with ZWL$14 200 stashed in a satchel, US$3 300 placed inside a vehicle compartment and $20 in his wallet.

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On arrival, Gwena and his accomplices allegedly demanded some United States dollars from Mutanda as they assaulted him with machetes and robbed him of his money.

The court heard that the accused dragged Mutanda to a bush and tied his hands and legs to a tree using barbed wire.

They allegedly ransacked Mutanda’s car, took away three cellphones, a wrist watch, car chargers, a modulator, gas tank canister and car keys before fleeing.

Mutanda later managed to untie himself and walked back to his vandalised car.

Seeing that his car keys were missing, he sought overnight refuge at a nearby house and filed a police report the following morning.

Gwena was arrested the following day after a search was conducted at his house and two machetes were recovered from his wardrobe.

Police also recovered a piece of fake gold in his jacket inside the wardrobe.

Mutanda was called to the police station, where he positively identified the machetes used and the fake gold his assailants used to dupe him.

Albert Mazhindu represented the State.