In an unusual turn of events, a Harare businessman who was the target of an assassination plan by five South African hitmen was able to lure the assassins to Harare and into the hands of police.
Oliver Tatenda Chipindu was the businessman who was the target of the hit squad.
They were hired by a conman who had conned Chipindu out of $800,000 and now wanted him assassinated so that the debt could be written off.
The five hitmen are Johannesburg’s Moses Monde, Malvin Manzinde, Malvin Tatenda Nyamuranga, Norbert Muponda, and Cape Town’s Joshua Mapuranga.
The conman who hired them, Obrian Obert Mapurisa, is on the run.
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The hitmen appeared in court at the weekend.
According to H Metro, Mapurisa agreed with Chipindu to purchase Liquified Petroleum gas tankers in Turkey.
Chipindu gave Mapurisa cash amounting to US$800 000 for the purchase of seven Liquified Petroleum gas tankers.
The cash was paid in varying sums on different dates.
In January, Chipindu made numerous efforts to obtain paperwork pertaining to the purchased gas tankers but Mapurisa became evasive.
Chipindu then contacted Mimak Company in Turkey, which had been contracted to supply the gas tankers, and was advised that they had not yet been paid the full purchase price.
Only a deposit of US$132 000 had been paid.
Chipindu then contacted Mapurisa, who confirmed that he had diverted the funds, but was going to pay for the tankers in full as planned.
Chipindu demanded a refund of his money but Mapurisa became evasive.
On February 28, Chipindu went to Turkey and tried to talk to Mimak Company so that he could get more time to pay for the tankers, as they were about to dispose them elsewhere.
He was given time up to the end of this month to process the remainder of the payment.
As a result of the pestering by Chipindu, Mapurisa hatched a plan to eliminate him.
He hired the five hitmen who are all based in South Africa for the hit.
He supplied them with Chipindu’s address and picture.
The hitmen, armed with unidentified pistols, travelled to Zimbabwe and spent seven days in this country looking for Chipindu but couldn’t locate him as he had travelled to Turkey.
The hitmen later returned to South Africa where they wanted to re-strategise with their mastermind Mapurisa.
Chipindu returned to Zimbabwe on March 11 and was advised by a friend that some hitmen had been hired from South Africa to kill him.
He filed a police report.
On Tuesday last week, Chipindu and his friend lured the hitmen to Zimbabwe and booked a lodge for them where they were arrested.
The police recovered their phones, which contained their conversations with Mapurisa.
The five are back in court today for bail proceedings
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