‘GOOD SAMARITAN’ TURNS THIEF – speeds away with motor bike

Written by on June 18, 2019

MUKWIMA CHILALA writes

@SunZambian

ON JANUARY 14 this year Webster Sikota was riding his motor cycle from his home in Lusaka’s Chawama Township to the central business district (CBD).

The machine developed a fault as he rode past Misisi Settlement.

As he was fidgeting with the bike he sighed with relief when a young man appeared on the scene and politely offered to repair it for free.

He introduced himself as the same person who had repaired it for him a few months earlier in the CBD.

Today, Mr Sikota is still regretting his decision to accept the innocent-looking Good Samaritan’s offer.

When the young man managed to start the motor cycle’s engine he offered to road-test it, and Mr Sikota surrendered the machine.

He watched with relief as the repairer mounted the machine, kicked the pedal and squeezes the throttle.

To his shock the young man sped away and never returned. In panic he tried to run after him but it was futile.

He could not afford to hire a cab to follow the Good Samaritan-turned-thief.

To date he is still mourning the loss of his prized motor cycle.

Police suspect the suspect could be a convict from Lusaka Central Correctional Facility, commonly known as Chimbokaila who might have been a member of an outdoor working party.

Mr Sikota narrated to the Sun that he could, however, not recognise his ‘helper’ because his voice sounded familiar.

“Ba nanibela, nenze kucoka ku nyumba kubwela mu town. Manje pa kati ka njila bike yanga inabwela yazima, so I tried it yabwela yalila,” he said.

“Manje pamene ninafika pa sogolo ninapeza munyata ananiziba ati anailungusako, so ananifunsa kuti ba mudala Honda yanu ni same problem kabyulator. Naine nati ee but sinili sure ngati ni same problem,” he said.

(The young man said the main problem with my bike was the carburetor)

Ananifunsa nati mwanikumbuka, naine ninakamba nati iyayi elo ananiuza ati ndine ninakulungilisani Honda yanu last time mu town, so naine nina mupasa kaili anani kumbukisa ati anailungisako last time.

Mr Sikota said after the young man had managed to rectify the problem on his bike, he asked him if he could go for a road test and that’s how he disappeared and never returned.

He said that he tried asking around and looking for the man, but could not find any clue until after more than three months when he was tipped by a named pastor that the man he had been looking for was in central remand prison.

“Ninakumanya apastor amene amuziba munyamata uyo anatenga Honda yanga ati banamuzibila mu prison pamene banali kuyenda mu ku preaching’a,” Mr Sikota said.

“Ninayenda kufunsa ku prison nakumupeza munyata ati kansi pamene ananitengela Honda yanga anali ce pa bail, so anabwelelamo mu jele kaili sanali kukonka za bail.’

(A pastor alerted me that the man I had been looking for was in remand after jumping bail. He told me that he used to see him in remand when he went to preach there, and that when he stole my Honda he was on bail but he has since been in custody for violating the bail conditions)

Mr Sikota said when he approached the suspect at Chimbokaila, he acknowledged having been in possession of his motor cycle but they could, however, not conclude their conversation as time for visiting inmates ran out.

He said when he returned to the remand facility, the man this time around denied ever taking his motor cycle saying that at the time it happened he was incarcerated.

Mr Sikota said that he had already reported the theft to Lusaka Central Police Station and that investigations were still ongoing.

He advised people to be careful when approached by people posing as Good Samaritans offering free help as they could turn out to be dangerous.


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