The police have finally arrested accused murderer Collen Jamu, who had been a fugitive from the law after he committed another heinous crime by pouring hot cooking oil on his wife. Jamu was on the police wanted list for the brutal murder of his girlfriend Mitchel Chipere in 2015.
According to national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the 28-year-old murder fugitive was arrested on Monday after he burnt his wife with hot cooking oil. Jamu’s wife, Vimbayi Muzozo is currently admitted at the Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare where she is reported to be battling for her life after she suffered serious burns all over her body.
In 2015, Jamu allegedly killed 21-year-old Mitchell Chipere at her parents’ home. Jamu is reported to have struck Mitchell with a hoe four times in the head after she had tried to end their relationship.
After committing the heinous murder, Jamu tried to hide in one of the bedrooms after Mitchell’s mother returned home before he could make good his escape. The deceased’s mother followed her instincts and sought help from police officers who were in the neighbourhood. The police officers arrested Jamu after they found him hiding under a bed in the main bedroom. Mitchell’s lifeless body was hidden under the bed in another bedroom.
However, when he was granted bail by the High Court in 2017, Jamu skipped bail and became a fugitive, forcing the courts to issue a warrant for his arrest.
The late Mitchel Chipere
Despite the serious charges that he is facing, Jamu was not apprehended despite claims by the Chipere family that he was moving freely around and that they had sighted him in public on several occasions.
The murdered woman’s father Brighton Chipere accused the police of deliberately failing to arrest Jamu. He argued that he had provided the officers at Glen Norah Police Station with Jamu’s current location on several occasions, only for the police to fail to act on the information.
Ironically, Jamu’s own father told the media in November that he was puzzled at why his son was roaming free when he had personally helped them to apprehend him. Stanley Jamu told the Herald,
“I remember when the police came here looking for him but he was not around. I called and lied to him that some people wanted to do business with him. In no time, Collin was on his way and before he even got to the house, the police who were hiding three houses from here picked him up. However, I was surprised to see him after a few hours walking freely in the streets.”–iharare
