At around 5am on Saturday, individuals still at large stole a computer and a printer from a census office in the Nlhamankulu municipal district, on the outskirts of Maputo city.

According to the Maputo City STAE, as part of the investigation into the crime, the police officers from the Republic of Mozambique who were guarding the site were arrested.

According to the Domingo newspaper, the disappearance of the equipment was triggered by the guard at the school that houses the registration office when one of the thieves was climbing over the fence carrying the bag containing the stolen material.

"At the time, one of the officers in charge of the garrison was taking a shower, while the other was in a classroom," said the school guard, adding that "minutes later, the suitcase was recovered, but without the printer or the computer."

However, the management of STAE in Maputo City has made other equipment available, thus ensuring that the census process continues at that post.