By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –

A POLICE officer and three others have appeared in the Lusaka magistrates’ court and pleaded not guilty to breaking into a building and stealing assorted goods worth more than K159,000.
Thomas Nyinjika who operates from Lusaka central police station and three others are charged with breaking into a building with intent to commit a felony.
Nyinjika , Francis Muleya a security guard, Samuel Ngwira a business executive and Essau Mwanza also a business executive are alleged to have committed the offence on April 17, 2015.
They are alleged to have with intent to steal broken and entered into African Gas and Welding Suppliers warehouse and stole items.
Among the items they stole are Buddy Are, tigtronic Ac/DC, 2 Themamax, 4 Esabs, 1 power Are and 1 Murex welding/heat outfit.
The four also stole 308 metres of welding cables, 20 metres of white reflecting tape, 24 promax namson boots, rolls of oxygen hose, rolls of acetylene hone, 26 hacksaw blades and angle grinders.
Nyinjika, Muleya, Ngwira and Mwanza also stole 11 shovels, nine cutting discs, four grinding discs, 30 locks and 293 locks altogether valued at K159, 982.50 the property of African Gas and Wielding Suppliers warehouse.
Acting chief resident magistrate Aridah Chulu allocated the matter to magistrate Humphrey Chitalu where the four were expected to take plea.
After the charge was read out to them by Mr Chitalu, the four pleaded not guilty.
Mr Chitalu granted them bail of K3,000 cash each with two working sureties.