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[TD="class: contentheading"]Items worth millions stolen from Mwandosya home
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[TD="class: createdate"] Wednesday, 26 December 2012 22:21
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By Lucas Liganga
The Citizen Chief Reporter
Dar es Salaam.
Cabinet minister Mark Mwandosyas home in Dar es Salaam has been broken into and property worth millions of shillings stolen.
The Minister of State in the Presidents Office (Special Duties) and his family were away when his double-storey home in the citys posh Bahari Beach area was burgled last Friday.
The home is guarded around the clock, and Kinondoni Regional Police Commander Charles Kenyela said the chief suspect being sought was a guard with a private security company, who was on duty during the break-in.
I can confirm that the ministers house was broken into and items worth millions of shillings stolen. We are looking for the duty guard, who fled after the burglary. He left his uniform behind he is our main suspect, he said.
The guard is an employee of a company contracted by State House to guard Prof Mwandosyas residence.
Reached by telephone for comment yesterday, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Presidents Office Susan Mlawi said: Were handling the issue and will come up with a statement.
The ministers wife, Mrs Lucy Mwandosya, told The Citizen by telephone that the burglars stole various items, including cash, jewellery and two flat-screen televisions during the 8pm raid.The burglars ransacked the whole house. They even slashed bags and forced briefcases open as they searched for valuables. They took away cash and items worth millions of shillings, she said.
Mrs Mwandosya said the company the renegade guard worked for was contracted to guard the residence after her husband was appointed Minister of State in the Presidents Office.The firm initially assigned one guard during the day and two at night, but lately only one guard had been on duty at night, she added.
Mrs Mwandosya said the guard who was supposed to be on duty reported for work in the evening and offered the Mwandosyas private guard two packets of juice and buns.The private guard declined the offer because he had coconut juice, which he poured into a glass before briefly going into the house, leaving his drink outside.
After a short while, the private guard joined the other guard and drank his coconut juice despite having noticed some white particles in the drink.Shortly after he had taken the juice, he passed out. He regained consciousness at Mwanyamala Hospital at around 1pm the following day, Mrs Mwandosya said.She said she suspected the rogue guard laced the coconut juice with an intoxicating substance, and that he had some accomplices.
A neighbour, who Mrs Mwandosya identified as Mrs Luhanga, contacted her by telephone in Lufilyo Village, Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, where the minister was with his family for the Christmas and New Year holidays, and told her there was a problem at her house in Dar es Salaam.
Mrs Luhanga phoned me on Saturday morning, telling me that there was something seriously wrong with my private guard Watson, who was found unconscious, Mrs Mwandosya said.
The neighbour alerted the police, who drove to the scene, inspected the house and took Watson to Mwananyamala Hospital. She said the guard left his walkie-talkie and uniform behind after the burglars had broken into the master bedroom and the bedroom of her last-born son, Emmanuel.
Mrs Mwandosya and Emmanuel cut their holiday short and rushed back to Dar es Salaam after learnt of the break-in. She was not sure whether the suspect would be found soon.What is worrying is the fact that records indicate that the guard has no permanent address, his fingerprints were not taken when he was employed and, to make matters worse, his referees only gave their telephone numbers to the employer, Mrs Mwandosya said.
Contacted by telephone in Lufilyo Village yesterday, Prof Mwandosya declined to comment, saying he was preparing to return to Dar es Salaam.
The company contracted to guard Prof Mwandosyas residents describes itself on its website as Tanzanias leading indigenous security firm.
It says its clients include government ministries, the National Assembly, reputable banks, universities and embassies.
Also displayed on the website are telephone numbers. However, calls to the numbers went unanswered for the better part of yesterday.
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[TD="class: contentheading"]Items worth millions stolen from Mwandosya home
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[TD="class: createdate"] Wednesday, 26 December 2012 22:21
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By Lucas Liganga
The Citizen Chief Reporter
Dar es Salaam.
Cabinet minister Mark Mwandosyas home in Dar es Salaam has been broken into and property worth millions of shillings stolen.
The Minister of State in the Presidents Office (Special Duties) and his family were away when his double-storey home in the citys posh Bahari Beach area was burgled last Friday.
The home is guarded around the clock, and Kinondoni Regional Police Commander Charles Kenyela said the chief suspect being sought was a guard with a private security company, who was on duty during the break-in.
I can confirm that the ministers house was broken into and items worth millions of shillings stolen. We are looking for the duty guard, who fled after the burglary. He left his uniform behind he is our main suspect, he said.
The guard is an employee of a company contracted by State House to guard Prof Mwandosyas residence.
Reached by telephone for comment yesterday, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Presidents Office Susan Mlawi said: Were handling the issue and will come up with a statement.
The ministers wife, Mrs Lucy Mwandosya, told The Citizen by telephone that the burglars stole various items, including cash, jewellery and two flat-screen televisions during the 8pm raid.The burglars ransacked the whole house. They even slashed bags and forced briefcases open as they searched for valuables. They took away cash and items worth millions of shillings, she said.
Mrs Mwandosya said the company the renegade guard worked for was contracted to guard the residence after her husband was appointed Minister of State in the Presidents Office.The firm initially assigned one guard during the day and two at night, but lately only one guard had been on duty at night, she added.
Mrs Mwandosya said the guard who was supposed to be on duty reported for work in the evening and offered the Mwandosyas private guard two packets of juice and buns.The private guard declined the offer because he had coconut juice, which he poured into a glass before briefly going into the house, leaving his drink outside.
After a short while, the private guard joined the other guard and drank his coconut juice despite having noticed some white particles in the drink.Shortly after he had taken the juice, he passed out. He regained consciousness at Mwanyamala Hospital at around 1pm the following day, Mrs Mwandosya said.She said she suspected the rogue guard laced the coconut juice with an intoxicating substance, and that he had some accomplices.
A neighbour, who Mrs Mwandosya identified as Mrs Luhanga, contacted her by telephone in Lufilyo Village, Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, where the minister was with his family for the Christmas and New Year holidays, and told her there was a problem at her house in Dar es Salaam.
Mrs Luhanga phoned me on Saturday morning, telling me that there was something seriously wrong with my private guard Watson, who was found unconscious, Mrs Mwandosya said.
The neighbour alerted the police, who drove to the scene, inspected the house and took Watson to Mwananyamala Hospital. She said the guard left his walkie-talkie and uniform behind after the burglars had broken into the master bedroom and the bedroom of her last-born son, Emmanuel.
Mrs Mwandosya and Emmanuel cut their holiday short and rushed back to Dar es Salaam after learnt of the break-in. She was not sure whether the suspect would be found soon.What is worrying is the fact that records indicate that the guard has no permanent address, his fingerprints were not taken when he was employed and, to make matters worse, his referees only gave their telephone numbers to the employer, Mrs Mwandosya said.
Contacted by telephone in Lufilyo Village yesterday, Prof Mwandosya declined to comment, saying he was preparing to return to Dar es Salaam.
The company contracted to guard Prof Mwandosyas residents describes itself on its website as Tanzanias leading indigenous security firm.
It says its clients include government ministries, the National Assembly, reputable banks, universities and embassies.
Also displayed on the website are telephone numbers. However, calls to the numbers went unanswered for the better part of yesterday.
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