A street robber has been arrested for allegedly terrorising National University of Science and Technology (Nust) students who he would ambush and rob of their property before raping them.
Brighton Nkomo (33) was arrested after robbing and raping two students and one of them positively identified him in a kombi and alerted other passengers who apprehended him.
He appeared in court before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Gladmore Mushove facing two counts of robbery and two of rape.
Nkomo of 2426 New Magwegwe was not asked to plead to the charges and was remanded in custody to 27 September.
The magistrate advised him to apply to the High Court for bail.
Allegations leveled against Nkomo as presented by Ms Concilia Ncube for the State are that he would way lay the victims in the morning as they were walking to the campus.
Sometime in December last year, Nkomo allegedly followed behind a female student (name withheld) and walked alongside her for some distance.
When they got to a secluded place near a bush, Nkomo allegedly grabbed the student by the neck and pulled her into the bush before stuffing her mouth with a wool hat.
The court was told that Nkomo demanded that she surrender her belongings and when the woman refused, he allegedly picked a stone and hit her on the chest to force her into submission.
He allegedly stole from her a Nokia C2 cellphone and $2 cash. The court was told that Nkomo then went on to rape the woman once and disappeared into the bush.
The student reported the matter to security guards at Nust who helped her make a report to the police.
In April this year, Nkomo allegedly armed himself with an axe and robbed and raped another student (name withheld) in a bush between Nust and Killarney.
The court was told that he allegedly threatened to axe the woman and forced her into the bush.
He allegedly stole from her a Samsung handset, two cellphone chargers, earphones, a hair scrunch and $85 cash before allegedly raping her once.
On Wednesday last week one of the students spotted Nkomo in the commuter omnibus and effected his arrest.
The other student was called for an identification parade at the Bulawayo Police Station where she positively identified him.
- NewsBite
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