2 Zimbabwean Students Arrested In Cyprus On Robbery Charges

Note: A previous version of this story claimed that 8 students were arrested. Pindula has since established that only 2 were arrested and charged. Even though the other 6 were detained over night, they were not charged, and we’re released the next morning as they played no part in alleged crimes committed. The story has since been update to reflect this new information.

The 2 allegedly robbed 15 houses and five shops in Lefko and Girne districts in a space of three months before their arrest last month. The two students are Brian Prayer Mutakura and Michael Matsikiti. Five of the eight students have since been released after an investigation concluded that they were not connected to the robberies which occurred between 13 December 2017 and 13 March 2018 and it was not clear when the three would appear in court.

Paradza said his committee was seeking clearance from Government to send a delegation to Cyprus to assess the situation with the view of having the arrested students repatriated. In 2017, Government unsuccessfully engaged Turkish authorities on the possible release of three students who were arrested on drug trafficking charges. Turkey controls the northern part of Cyprus where a number of Zimbabwean students are studying.

More: Sunday News