Elliot Jinjika
CHIVHU – In a stranger than fiction case, a 27 year-old man shocked many when he was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell his eight-year-old daughter for US12 000.
The man fell for a trap and disposed of his daughter to police detectives whom he thought were genuine body parts traffickers engaging in some juju-driven business practices.
It was heard in the Chivhu Magistrates Court that on March 27 this year, Tapiwa Vhutani contacted Obert Juru, a Chivhu businessman, through phone messages asking him if he would want to buy children for use in rituals to grow his business.
Vhutani was not asked to plead but was placed on remand pending trial at the High Court where he will face charges of conspiracy to commit murder after full investigations by the police
Led by prosecutor Nicholas Mabvongodze, the State alleged that Vhutani kept on pestering Juru about the matter saying he was in dire need of cash.
The businessman decided to alert the police and a trap was set against Vhutani. It was heard that Vhutani was then told that prospective buyers from South Africa will be in Chivhu in two days’ time and he was misled into believing that he could finally sell his daughter.
Vhutani allegedly travelled from Kadoma to Chivhu in order to meet the said prospective buyers.
Upon his arrival in Chivhu, intelligence details from the police were introduced to Vhutani as the prospective buyers and they agreed on the $12000 buying price.
In no time, Vhutani departed to Yuli farm, his rural home in Wedza, where he took his daughter and brought her to Chivhu.
Vhutani allegedly surrendered the child to the ‘buyers’, telling her that one of them was an uncle who was going to stay with her for some time.
He was then handed a brown envelope with US$50 inside but was marked $12 000 and, as he left the scene, was subsequently arrested by other detectives who were hiding close by.
It was disclosed that Vhutani had seen Juru’s South African-registered vehicle and thought he could make a deal with him out of conviction that body parts business was good in the neighbouring country.local
