A motorist lost his vehicle in Harare after leaving the keys in the ignition and failing to lock the doors while having a nice time in a nightclub, police have said.
Midmore Karinga, from Chinhoyi, had parked his red Isuzu 2-tonne truck outside a nightclub along Harare Street before going inside. When he returned about 45 minutes later, the vehicle had disappeared from the parking bay.
Provincial police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza said the truck, registration AHI 8926, was taken while it was unattended.
“Police are investigating a theft of motor vehicle.The complainant parked a red Isuzu 2 tonne truck, registration AHI 8926, at a local night club along Harare Street and went into the club. He left the car keys on the ignition. The doors of the vehicle were not locked.”
The theft was discovered after Karinga remembered that he had left the keys inside the vehicle. He went back to the place where he had parked, but found the parking bay empty.
Chakanza said: “After about 45 minutes, he then realised that he left the keys on the ignition and the doors unlocked. He went to where he had parked the vehicle and discovered that it was missing from the parking bay. We continue to urge motorists to be responsible, secure their vehicles and avoid leaving valuables in parked cars”.
The Harare case comes as police continue to deal with a series of vehicle thefts in which cars have vanished from homes, business premises, roadside stopping points and public parking areas. In several of the incidents, thieves did not need to force open a door because keys had been left inside a vehicle or placed where they could easily be found.
At company premises in Avonlea, Harare, suspects broke into the property and stole a Toyota Hilux and a Mazda BT50. They also took generators, cement, refrigerators, solar batteries, money-counting machines and a digital camera. The Toyota Hilux was later recovered after it was found abandoned in Majuru Village, Kutama, although the Mazda BT50 and other stolen property remained part of the investigation at the time.
Another vehicle disappeared in Mutorashanga after its owner parked a Honda Fit behind a shop at Urugwe Compound. The keys were left inside the car while the owner went to bed. Around midnight, he discovered that the vehicle was missing.
In Karoi, a 29-year-old man lost his Toyota Fun Cargo after allowing a man known as Moses Kachasu to sleep in the vehicle at his home. The owner had taken the keys to his room, but the car was later driven away.
Police said the vehicle was taken “apparently using unknown means to start and drive the vehicle away”.
A separate theft was reported in Fairview Park in Ruwa, where a 45-year-old man parked his Nissan Caravan NV350 in his yard, locked the doors and went to bed. Although the vehicle itself was secured, the keys had been left on top of a wardrobe inside the house. A suspect broke into the home, stole the keys and household goods, and then drove away in the Nissan Caravan.
In central Harare, another Honda Fit was stolen after it was left unlocked at the corner of Leopold Takawira Street and Samora Machel Avenue. The owner had gone to attend to other business and returned about an hour later to find the car gone.
The incidents have highlighted different methods used by vehicle thieves. Some cars were taken after the keys had been left in the ignition, while others were stolen after criminals broke into houses, company premises or vehicles. In other cases, motorists were confronted directly and forced to hand over their keys.
Bulawayo recorded two serious vehicle robberies involving Toyota Fortuner vehicles in June 2025. In the first case, a 64-year-old woman lost a silver Toyota Fortuner worth US$55,000 in Pumula South. She had parked outside another house where she had gone to check on painting work. The vehicle was secured, but an armed suspect approached her, threatened her with a pistol and demanded the keys. The suspects drove away with the Fortuner and also took US$43 in cash, medication worth US$50 and a 20-litre bucket of paint valued at US$138.
Police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said the incident was part of an emerging pattern involving the robbery of Toyota Fortuner vehicles.
“Police in Bulawayo have since observed an emerging trend in the robbery of motor vehicles, following the theft of two Toyota Fortuner cars in separate incidents. In the first case, a 64-year-old complainant from Malindela suburb parked her silver Toyota Fortuner outside her other house in Pumula South, where she had gone to check on the progress in painting the house. She left the vehicle secured, but upon returning to it, she was approached by an unknown suspect who threatened her with a pistol, demanded the keys, and warned he would shoot if she did not comply,” said Inspector Msebele.
The second Bulawayo case occurred along the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road near Kingsdale shops. A man travelling with his wife had stopped his Toyota Fortuner, registration AFK 3226, by the roadside for a break. Several suspects emerged from behind the vehicle. They were armed with a pistol and an okapi knife.
One suspect demanded the keys while four others entered the vehicle. The group drove about 50 metres towards Inyathi before stopping and ordering the man’s wife out of the car. The suspects then continued with the Fortuner, which was valued at US$45,000. Two iPhone 13 Pro Max mobile phones worth US$1,400 and groceries valued at US$50 were also taken.
The Bulawayo robberies differed from the Harare nightclub theft because the victims were confronted by armed criminals. However, both sets of cases ended with vehicles being taken from places where their owners believed they would be safe for a short period. One vehicle vanished outside a house, another disappeared during a roadside break and Karinga’s truck was taken while he spent time inside a nightclub.
Police have urged motorists to treat every parking area as a place requiring care, whether it is outside a nightclub, at a shopping centre, near a business, at home or along a major road. Drivers have also been warned not to leave valuable items visible inside vehicles and not to keep keys in places where they can be quickly taken.
Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “It is the responsibility of drivers and vehicle owners to assist in the maintenance of law and order, especially in securing vehicles at home, parking areas in Central Business District and other places.”