A 22-year-old woman from New Parklands in Bulawayo is facing serious charges after she allegedly stole a US$70,000 (approx. R1,290,000) Toyota Tundra and US$1,000 (approx. R18,500) in cash from a 37-year-old man following a one-night stand — only to return hours later to try and steal a BMW.
Zimlive reports that Nicole Dube is accused of using a romantic encounter to gain access to the man’s Khumalo residence, where she allegedly waited until he was asleep before launching a late-night theft spree on July 15.We urge members of the public to be very careful with the people they associate with, for some will be having some hidden agenda that will end up costing them,”
she said.
The accused is expected to appear in court soon. Charges may include theft of a motor vehicle, unlawful entry, and theft of cash.
The man, whose identity was not disclosed by police, reportedly met Dube in Parklands and offered her a lift. It is alleged that the two agreed to spend the evening together and returned to his home in Khumalo.
“The complainant picked up the accused person at Parklands and proposed love to her. The two agreed to spend a night together and they proceeded to the complainant’s place of residence where they drank beer, ate supper and later at around 10PM, retired to bed,”
said Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele.
After the man fell asleep, Dube allegedly removed cash from his trousers and disappeared into the night. According to police, she made off with his Toyota Tundra, valued at US$70,000, and also took a set of keys to his BMW.
“While the complainant was fast asleep, the accused person woke up, took the complainant’s wallet with cash amounting to US$1,000 which was in his trousers pocket and disappeared,”
Inspector Msebele said.
Hours later, the man woke up around midnight and discovered both Dube and the vehicle missing. In a panic, he began trying to track her down. He soon received a tip-off that the Toyota Tundra had crashed into a wall near Chicken Inn, just opposite the Tredgold Magistrates Court in Bulawayo city centre. The vehicle was abandoned at the scene.
Police said Dube did not stop there.
After crashing the Tundra, she allegedly jumped into a pirate taxi and returned to the same house around 2AM, in what appears to have been a bold attempt to steal the BMW.
The man’s gardener, who had arrived early for work, spotted Dube trying to access the BMW. He quickly alerted his employer, who reportedly confronted her at the scene. The two men managed to detain Dube and handed her over to police.She was seen by the gardener allegedly attempting to steal the BMW. The gardener alerted the complainant and they confronted and apprehended her before escorting her to the police,”
said Inspector Msebele.
Authorities say they recovered the BMW keys and some of the stolen cash. The Toyota Tundra was impounded for inspection.
Inspector Msebele issued a general warning to the public following the incident.
