THE mastermind of the December 22 prison escape was recaptured with the help of two telecommunication companies and his own mother. Assistant Commissioner Tsoto Manaka told Justice Realeboha Mathaba’s commission of inquiry that the escape architect was Tumelo Mpopo of Ha-Tšosane.
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AC Manaka, who testified from last Friday to Monday this week, said he became aware that Mpopo was communicating with his mother, a week after he escaped from the Maseru Central Correctional facility.
“I took one superintendent who was on duty that day to Ha-Tšosane to meet Mpopo’s mother,” AC Manaka said.
He said he told the mother about the dangers of communicating with the escaped inmate, adding that “the mother agreed to hatch a plan with the LCS to re-arrest Mpopo”.
The LCS Act 2016 says a person convicted of assisting an inmate to escape from a correctional institution is liable to a M15 000 fine or a 10-year imprisonment or both.
“I then told her that whenever Mpopo called she should alert me so that I could give her tips on how to set a trap,” he said.
“I intended to locate where Mpopo was calling from.”
AC Manaka said he worked with one police officer called Motsoetla on a plan to arrest Mpopo, adding that they also approached Econet Telecom Lesotho to help identify the towers used by Mpopo.
He said they found out that Mpopo was using three phones, and that one of them was connecting to Peka towers, and later Maputsoe towers.
“The other phone was connecting to Butha-Buthe towers, but later Qacha’s Nek,” he said.
Manaka said the third phone was connecting to Qacha’s Nek towers when Mpopo called his mother requesting M300 after his escape.
“He later reduced the amount to M50, saying he was desperate.”
He said it was at this point that they decided to tell the mother to promise Mpopo that she was going to send the money.
“We said she should tell him that Mpesa was not working in Maseru except if it was sent from agent to agent.”
He said Mpopo agreed to be sent money from agent to agent, which meant he would have to go to a certain agent to receive the money.
He said the mother asked Mpopo to disclose the names of the nearest Mpesa agent where he could receive money.
“Vodacom then helped to identify the agents’ names in Qacha’s Nek at Ha-’Manteko.”
He said Motsoetla then held a meeting with Qacha’s Nek police management and the LCS management there and told them to set a trap.
He said Mpopo was arrested when he arrived at the Mpesa agent.
“The officers were already waiting for him.”
Nkheli Liphoto