A devastating incident has shaken the community of Penhalonga, Manicaland Province, after a 46-year-old taxi driver was fatally shot by three unidentified men he had picked up, believing they were legitimate passengers heading to Stapleford Estate.

The incident unfolded on Monday afternoon around 4:30 PM when the suspects, posing as passengers, hired the taxi driver, Rodgers Murimbechi, and another individual, Ronald Simbarashe Mazura (20), for a fare of US$20 to Muchena Business Centre. Upon reaching Nyahunga Bridge, one of the suspects pulled out a firearm and ordered Murimbechi to stop the vehicle at gunpoint. The suspects then robbed their victims of valuables, including an undisclosed amount of money and a cellphone, before forcing them back into the vehicle.

The suspects drove the taxi to a secluded area near the Drenan turn-off, where they ordered Mazura and Murimbechi to exit the vehicle. In a brutal act, one of the suspects shot Murimbechi multiple times in the stomach before fleeing the scene in the stolen Honda Fit (AFF 7694). Mazura sought help, but Murimbechi succumbed to his injuries before assistance arrived. The body was later taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital.

According to Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, the police are investigating the incident and pursuing the suspects, who remain at large. The community is left in shock following this tragic event.