Police have ransacked and shut down 112 'illegal' butcheries and arrested 2,160 people in a two week countrywide operation targeting stock theft cronies.
National Co-ordinatorof the Anti-Stock Theft unit, Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, said the police operation code named Inyama liyithethe ngaphi/nyama yabvepi, which ended on March 27, nabbed a number of illegal operators.
Snr Asst Comm Makodza revealed that the operation has seen 51 cattle rustlers being arrested and also 2,160 people arrested with crimes related to stock theft. 897kg of stolen meat were recovered while 112 illegal butcheries were shutdown.
He said police recovered 73 stolen cattle, 58 goats as well as three donkeys during the crackdown.
Snr Asst Comm Makodza said they fined 1,470 people for illegal handling of meat.
In efforts to fight stock theft, police are lobbying for the government to introduce stiffer sentences of up to 18 years for those buying stolen cattle.
- Chronicle
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