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Love triangle, soldier 'sets fire' on rival's vehicle

by Auxilia Katongomara
27 Oct 2014 at 06:24hrs | Views
A BULAWAYO-based police officer alleges that a soldier set fire to his Toyota Granvia following an altercation in a suspected love triangle.

The Granvia was reduced to a shell in the incident which happened in Old Magwegwe suburb on Thursday.

The visibly shaken cop Benjamin Bigboy Rambi, 26, told Chronicle that he suspected a soldier only identified as Tatenda, 25, who is based at Imbizo Barracks is responsible for the arson.

He said he had caught Tatenda with his live-in girlfriend Patience Mavhiya, 23, the previous day.

"On Wednesday, Tatenda sent a message on my girlfriend's phone indicating that he was coming to sleep with her. She showed her friend who read the message aloud but I just ignored it. He later called her saying that he was on his way to our home. After that she began acting strangely and went to sit outside so that she could alert him that I was around," said Rambi.

He said he decided to set a trap by pretending that he was going to work.

"I left as if I was going to work and on returning I found Tatenda in my house. I asked him what he was doing at my house and I threatened to handcuff him since he was an intruder.

He managed to escape after a brief scuffle," said Rambi.

He told Chronicle that Tatenda left his mobile phone behind and he confiscated it.

"Later in the evening, Tatenda called and said he wanted his phone but I told him to come and get it where he had left it. He threatened to fix me and I believe he did that by burning my car," he said.

"On Thursday at around 7AM my landlord woke us up saying that the car was burning. When I got to the car I realised that the rear window had been smashed and the fire was coming from the back seat. I rushed back into the house to get the car keys to unlock the doors," said Rambi.

He said after opening the doors the fire spread to the rest of the car.

"Neighbours failed to put out the fire by pouring sand. We called the Fire Brigade which attended to the scene swiftly, but they couldn't save the car," said Rambi.

Residents at the scene said the fire broke out after a domestic dispute between Rambi and Mavhiya.

"What we know is that these two guys weren't in good books. There was some issue and we suspect it's the wife who burnt down the car," said a neighbour.

Rambi disputed the rumour, maintaining it was Tatenda who set the vehicle ablaze.

Tatenda could not be reached for comment.

Acting Chief Fire officer Edward Mpofu said: "Investigations are still going on but there's a possibility of arson."

Source - chronicle