Two men in Zimbabwe have been arrested over ‘lurid’ gay pictures found on a mobile phone.

As reported in New Zimbabwe, a man, known only as Andrew, left his phone to charge with people he knew at a mobile phone repair shop in the capital Harare.

One of the employees snooped through the phone and found pictures of him and another man called Esau kissing and embracing in bed. He then called the police, who have confirmed the arrest.

Police spokesman Inspector James Sabau said: ‘I can confirm we have arrested two men who are assisting officers with their investigations following the discovery of a set of images of a sexual nature.

‘No charges have been brought at present.’

According to a witness who knows the two men, as soon as others heard about the picture they crowded around the store to ‘mete out instant justice’.

Andrew claimed he and Esau had gotten drunk two weeks before and ‘ended up behaving strangely’.

He denied they were in a relationship, and said they did not know why the couple had taken the pictures.

Another witness said police had difficulties controlling the baying crowd that made catcalls and threw stones as the two were led away.

Homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe and two members of the same sex caught kissing or even holding hands can face a jail sentence.

President Robert Mugabe, who has ranted about homosexuality for years, previously branded gays ‘worse than dogs’ and this May claimed being gay leads to the ‘extinction’ of the human race.

A new constitution in the conservative country is currently being drafted and gay rights activists are calling for homosexuality to be legalized.

However, Mugabe has called for voters to reject gay rights in the charter meaning reforms to the current legislation looks unlikely.