/ 1 January 2002

Zimbabwe police arrest the nude ‘ghost’ thief

A thief who disguised himself as a ghost using ash and grease and robbed foreigners at a prime tourist site in southern Zimbabwe has been arrested, the Herald newspaper reported Saturday.

The thief, who worked naked, his body daubed with ash, took goods and money worth 20-million Zimbabwe dollars ($360 000) over a four-year period from tourists to the Great Zimbabwe monument, an ancient stone-walled citadel.

”Some tourists even formulated theories that the ‘ghost’ was the godfather of the monuments, angry with the constant visit of foreigners,” the paper said.

Police ended the bogus bogeyman’s lucrative spree last week when they raided his home in Masvingo, 292 kilometres south of Harare, the Herald reported. – Sapa-AFP