GWERU – A 75-year-old man and his wife, 69, were murdered on Valentine’s Day in Redcliff, police said.
Police are holding a 34-year-old man, identified by neighbours as the family’s mechanic.
The bodies of Kenneth Pedzisai Chirashi and his wife Lorna Taylor Chirashi were found after police broke down their locked house.
Midlands police spokesman Emmanuel Mahoko said: “Police arrested a 34-year-old man who is suspected to have murdered a couple in Kwekwe. The suspect was arrested whilst driving the couple’s vehicle in Gokwe.”
The suspect has been named as Collins Jongwe, who was stopped at a police check point at around 6.30PM because of missing number plates on the silver Mercedes Benz. While police were interviewing Jongwe, Marashi’s mobile phone which was in the car started ringing and it was answered by a police officer. The caller identified himself as the couple’s son, Mike.
Concerned about the safety of his parents, Mike called one of their neighbours to check on the couple but the neighbour found the doors locked and police were called.
Chirashi’s body was found inside the house with a deep cut on the forehead and a rope tied around his neck, police said. His wife’s body was located in the bathroom and she had four deep cuts on the head.
A neighbour told police they heard someone screaming from the Chirashi home at around 7AM and moments later they saw Jongwe drive off in the Mercedes, but they never thought much of it.
