Harare — The Banket-based special interest councillor in the Zvimba Rural District Council who was murdered last Tuesday could have been shot with his own gun, police investigations have revealed.

Sources close to the investigations yesterday said four suspects in Banket had been arrested in connection with Lancelot Zvironge's murder.

The four were yesterday still in custody and assisting with investigations.

Police yesterday said the post-mortem would be conducted today at a Harare hospital.

Police arrested the suspects after reviewing the text messages Zvironge, a Zanu-PF councilor, sent to various people before he was murdered.

Some of them are Banket councillors.

The Herald understands that when Zvironge's body was found, he was in possession of one of his firearm licences but the weapon was not recovered.

Sources say police believe Zvironge's killers used the councillor's gun against him.

A security guard found Zvironge's body in an advanced state of decomposition in Kingston Dam at Kingston Farm, Banket.

The dam is crocodile infested and it is believed that the assailants wanted the crocodile to feast on the body, leaving no trace of him.

Zvironge was on Tuesday shot and killed before his body was thrown into the dam.

Zvironge had a gunshot wound on the head while a black rope -- which police suspect was used to weigh him down -- was tied around the waist.

He was last seen alive at around 9am on Tuesday while talking to friends outside a Chinhoyi bank.

He sent text messages to some friends saying he had been kidnapped by three men.

He said he had identified one of the men.

Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo appointed him to council after the 2008 elections.