Three women charged for hitchiker sex attacks

Semen collected from the women's victims was allegedly used for undisclosed rituals. Photo / Thinkstock

Three Zimbabwean women have appeared in court charged with indecent assault for a spree of sex attacks on male hitchhikers and using their victims' semen for undisclosed rituals, police say.

"We can confirm that three female and one male suspect were arrested," national police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka told AFP on Saturday.

"But we cannot speculate or comment further as the case is now before the courts."

Sisters Sophie, 26, and Netsai Nhokwara, 24, and Rosemary Chakwizira, 28, were the first suspects to be charged in connection with a string of sex attacks on men first reported two years ago.

They were arrested together with a man who said he was boyfriend to one of the women, according to the state-owned Herald newspaper.

In March this year the women sprayed an anaesthetic substance on a 19-year-old after giving him a lift, according to prosecutor Michael Reza.

"They then allegedly forced the teenager to be intimate with the three of them using condoms," The Herald quoted Reza as saying.

"After this, they secured the used condoms containing semen before leaving him unconscious after spraying the unknown substance at him."

On August 22 they gave a soldier a lift and forced him to have unprotected sex with them after threatening to shoot him, the prosecutor told the court.

In another case, the trio are said to have stopped next to a police constable, dragged him into their car after pretending to ask for directions and forced him to have sex with them.

The women used different cars to pick up 14 other men and force themselves on them. They were arrested when they were involved in an accident and police found 31 used condoms in the boot of their car.

Magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabini denied the four bail.

- AAP