07 Oct 2020

Police in Tutume are in search of three unknown men who attacked a 71-year-old woman and her 61-year-old helper in Tutme on Monday night.

They allegedly stole an undisclosed amount of money, four mobile phones and a Toyota Wish vehicle.

In an interview, Tutume police station commander, Superintendent Jerry Halahala, said three masked men reportedly gained access to the elderly woman’s house by cutting the yard’s fence and broke the kitchen door.   

Superintendent Halahala said the criminals then demanded money from the woman and assaulted her together with her house helper.

They then tied them together with a wire, adding that the old woman sustained serious injuries and was taken to Tutume Primary Hospital and later transferred to Nyangabgwe referral hospital in Francistown, where she was admitted.He said the house helper was however, treated and discharged.

Supt Halahala said the matter was still fresh and they were gathering information, which could help them arrest the suspects.

Furthermore, he said the value of the stolen money was unknown because of the condition of the victim.Supt Halahala lamented the increasing number of cases where people were attacked and left tied up in their homes at night, resulting in them taking long to contact the police for help. He urged members of the public to help with information that could lead to the arrest of the criminals.

Meanwhile, Supt Halahala warned the public to be on the lookout for some criminals that were impersonating law enforcement officers and often requested for people’s banking details claiming that they were investigating money laundering cases in which such monies could have been mistakenly deposited into victims’ accounts. ENDS