The incident occurred on Easter Saturday after the gang had raided a Chegutu home.

Police sources said the forced sale took place a few hours before detectives tracked down the suspected armed robbers and had the first of three shootouts with them in a week.

The matter came to light after the arrest of some of the suspected gangsters after the shootouts.

Police sources yesterday revealed that on Good Friday the gang broke into the Chegutu house and stole property, including a fridge.

Afterwards, they approached a man from the town and told him they were selling a fridge.

When the man became suspicious of the fridge’s origins, one of the gang members pulled out a pistol, pointed it at him and ordered him to “buy” it for US$200.

“The gangster warned him not to report the matter to the police or else they would come back and deal with him,” a police source said.

The man said he did not have the money and would only get it after the holiday.

“They left the fridge with him and promised to come back on Tuesday to collect the US$200.”

However, police caught up with the suspects before they could cash in.

That very Saturday, heavily armed detectives surprised the gang members at Blue Rock Farm in Chegutu.

Itai Mbaura (32) fired at the police as he tried to flee, but was hit in the thigh and arrested along with brothers; Cephas (39) and Peter Kasinga (41).

Itai later died at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare.

Last Wednesday, detectives intercepted Kelvin Kasinga (26) and other gang members in Norton and exchanged fire after they resisted arrest.

The suspected gangsters sped off in their Mazda 323 and went to Kadoma where their families were attending Itai’s

funeral.

Unbeknown to them another team of detectives ambushed them at the funeral and Kelvin was hit in the right shoulder and arrested in the second shootout of the day and third of the week.

The Kasingas are uncles to the Mbauras.

The Kasingas are brothers Cephas, Kelvin, Peter and Friday (age not given).

The Mbauras include Itai, his brother Brighton and his son Sam.

Cephas and Peter appeared in court last week and were remanded in custody for trial.

The gang is accused of attempting to murder police Assistant Inspector Never Bepura in 2007.