Police in Harare have arrested a 40-year-old patient at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital after he was allegedly caught stealing copper pipes and dismantling medical equipment from his hospital bed.
According to a police statement, Taona Dzimbo who had been admitted with a fractured leg was apprehended by officers on 5 October after being discovered damaging examination lights and removing internal copper components.
The ZRP said officers recovered 45 pieces of copper pipe each about 20 centimetres long along with an aluminium pipe hidden in the suspect’s hospital locker.
“The suspect is now under police guard at the hospital,” the Zimbabwe Republic Police said in a statement.
Theft of copper and other metals remains a growing problem across the country with vandals often targeting electricity cables, water infrastructure and public institutions.
Police have stepped up surveillance at major facilities following a rise in metal-related thefts in recent months.
