A SENIOR police officer based in Bulawayo was strangled to death and afterwards robbed of his car and other valuables after being lured into a bushy area by two bogus prophets, who claimed they wanted to exorcise the evil spirits haunting him, it has been reported.
The Southern eye newspaper reported Thursday that Assistant Inspector Nhlalo Ndlovu was strangled with a belt and robbed of his vehicle , money, laptop, cellphone and a police identity card.
This was heard by Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya on Wednesday when Patrick Matikiti (25) of Sauerstown and Assurance Moyo (22) of Lobengula appeared in court charged with the murder.
They were not asked to plead to the charge and were remanded in custody to October 8.
They were advised to apply to the High Court for bail.
The court heard that on December 10 last year, Matikiti, a self-proclaimed prophet, and Moyo, who acted as his assistant at a bushy area near Khami Dam in Bulawayo, hatched a plan to rob Ndlovu after they learnt that he had $3 000 in his vehicle.
Ndlovu had travelled from Lupane to visit his relatives in Bulawayo. The pair contacted Ndlovu at around 6:30pm.
They lured him to the bushy area near Khami Dam on the pretext they wanted to cleanse him of evil spirits, which they said were tormenting him.
Ndlovu used to consult the pair.
While pretending to pray for Ndlovu, they allegedly manhandled him and suffocated him using a garment rope, which they tired around his neck.
Ndlovu was found dead and police investigations led to the arrest of the two.
