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Codelia Mondela, Court Reporter
A Bulawayo woman who was part of a gang of four that stole 73 soup plates worth $108 from Kango retail outlet in the city has been fined $100.

In addition, she was ordered to restitute $100 to the retailer or face 40 days in prison.

Babra Kamangira (48), a mother of eight from Cowdray Park suburb, led the gang of women who went past security guards hiding the loot under their armpits.

The other three members are still at large.

Kamangira’s luck ran out when she was identified through a CCTV footage.

Mr Tinashe Tashaya on Monday convicted Kamangira on her own plea.

When asked what she did with the plates, Kamangira said her daughter in-law traded them for maize in the rural areas.

She said she sold some of the plates to raise money to buy medication for an unspecified ailment.

Kamangira walked with a pronounced limp and was smartly dressed in a red two piece suit with a pink handbag.

After the theft, Kamangira and her accomplices hired a pirate taxi to carry the loot.

Prosecuting, Mrs Charity Makonese said that Kamangaira and her partners in crime stole the plates last month.

“They stole the soup plates at around 11AM and were captured on a Closed Circuit Television video footage,” she said.

“The matter was discovered by the shop supervisor during a stock take on August 26.The cameras were checked and a report was made to the police.

Police, the court heard, tracked Kamangira to her home where she was arrested. — @MondelaC