Suspected thief commits suicide over stolen items to evade arrest

In a very sad development, a suspected thief from Bulawayo decided to take his own life after he had been reprimanded by his mother over the property he had stolen.

A report in one state-owned weekly tabloid said Nkanyiso Jiyane who stays in Nkulumane suburb decided to hang himself in his bedroom as he allegedly feared that his mother was going to report him to the police over the stolen items.

According to a family member who spoke to state media journalists on condition of anonymity, 53-year old Senzeni Mguni got worried after she saw lights on in Nkanyiso Jiyane’s bedroom at around 2.30am.

The source said this was after the pair had been embroiled in a heated argument with the mother telling her thieving son to return the stolen items to the owner.

“She (Mguni) was going to the toilet, when she looked at her son’s bedroom she got worried to see the lights on. After relieving herself she went to his bedroom and was shocked to see her son hanging from the roof trusses,” a family insider was quoted as saying.

Perceptibly fearing that his mother was going to report him to the police over the stolen property, the source said Nkanyiso decided to hang himself on the roof trusses in his bedroom.

“They had a heated argument after which his mother advised him to return the stolen items to the owner. The items were reported under case number CR179/11/20. He left for his bedroom. I think after that he thought his mother would report him to the police and to evade arrest he had to hang himself,” said the family insider.

Afterwards, Mguni is said to have asked a neighbour to accompany her to a police station to make a report.

While confirming the sad incident, Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube implored on locals to seek counseling than taking their own lives.

“This is a sad scenario because the deceased had an argument with his mother over a stolen property and the police were investigating the matter. As police we would like to urge members of the public to seek counselling from either pastors, police or elderly people in the community than to take their lives,” he said.

state media/Zwnews