Three boys from Chinhoyi aged between 11 and 13, managed to escape from their abductors on the 27th day of December 2023 at around 0900 hours. The boys were taken while they were gathering grass for rabbit feed in a bush near the Rusununguko suburb.

According to a leaked police memo, an unknown assailant approached the boys, armed with a machete, and forced them to walk to a secluded area over 10 kilometres away. Read the memo in part:

On the 27th day of December 2023 at around 0900 hours and at Rusununguko bushy area, three male juveniles (names and addresses withheld) went to the bush in Rusununguko to fetch rabbit feed (grass).
 
Whilst they were busy gathering the grass they were approached by one unknown adult male who was holding a machete and he ordered them to walk in a single file in front of him and they complied for fear of their lives.
 
He crossed Hunyani River with the kids and walked with them for a distance of about 11km until they reached a place in the bush where there was a parked black unregistered Caravan kombi.

The memo states that two other men wearing black clothing and masks disembarked from the vehicle, tied up the boys’ hands and legs, and placed them inside sacks. The boys were then put in the kombi and driven for about two kilometres before being taken out, undressed, and forced to hand over their belongings.

However, the kidnappers’ plan was interrupted when they heard voices nearby, NewZimbabwe reported. While one of the kidnappers stayed behind to pack the boys’ clothes, the boys saw an opportunity to escape and fled from the scene. The incident was reported to the police, but no stolen items were recovered.

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