HARARE - In a bizarre case, two men attempted to steal a corpse — from a funeral parlour — of a Tanzanian national who had swallowed 1,4 kilogrammes of heroin.

The two men: a South African national, Mlawa Jumanne Ndumbogane, 33, and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Mufungo Ngara, 39, yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Anita Tshuma.

They are accused of Contravening Section 189 as read with 156 (i) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23, for allegedly attempting to deal in dangerous drugs.

The court heard the two attempted to steal the corpse of Ally Omari Mpili from Vineyard Funeral Parlour after he died while in Braeside, Harare on October 19 this year.

Prosecutor Tungamirai Chakurira told the court that Mpili arrived in the country on October 19 at Harare’s Roadport Bus Terminus while in transit to South Africa.

The court heard when he arrived in the country, Mpili failed to get a connecting bus to South Africa and he decided to spend the night in Braeside.

Mpili died the same night, the court was told.

It is alleged that on the following day, police detectives received information that Mpili had swallowed some drugs while he was in Tanzania.

Initial analysis by police detectives pointed that Mpili’s death was as a result of drug burst in his stomach.

The court heard Mpili’s body was later taken to Vineyard Funeral parlour by Braeside police officers for safe keeping, while they waited for a full post-mortem to be carried out.

Ndumbogane and Ngara allegedly went to the parlour on October 24 and attempted to collect the body without the knowledge of the police, leading to their arrest.

According to state papers, a full post mortem was carried out on October 25 at Parirenyatwa Hospital, where it was discovered that Mpili had 80 cream-looking ampoules in his intestines.

The ampoules tested positive for heroin weighing 1,4 kilogrammes, the court heard.

The duo was remanded in custody to today for bail ruling. - Tendai Kamhungira