A HOUSE-BREAKING thief from Mutare, who last year broke into Mutare Provincial Hospital and stole household goods worth $950, has been arrested after his fingerprints matched the samples collected from him more than a decade ago.
Zacharia Mlambo (36) was last week sentenced to 24 months in prison for housebreaking and theft when he appeared before magistrate Langton Mukwengi.
He will, however, serve an effective 18-month jail term after six months were suspended on condition of good behaviour.
The court heard that on June last year, Mlambo broke into one of the hospital’s staff houses and stole household goods worth $950 and went away unnoticed.
Police details attended the scene of crime and collected samples of fingerprints which were sent to experts in Harare for verification.
The samples were found to be matching Mlambo’s fingerprints taken in 2005 after he had committed a related crime.
During interrogation by police detectives, Mlambo admitted to having stolen the goods which he sold in Nyanga.
However, during trial, Mlambo denied the charge, but the court convicted him on the strength of the evidence submitted by the State.
