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Chido Nyamuyaruka Court Correspondent
A CRIMINAL Investigations Department officer has been arraigned on three counts of extortion and abuse of office for demanding US$1 550 in bribes from a service station owner, the last batch in front of plain clothes anti-corruption unit detectives.
The service station owner had reported fuel thefts to the police, but the accused officer and his accomplice were allegedly threatening to let the businessperson “rot in jail” and would seize a vehicle until he paid up.
Ignatius Tichana (32) of CID Southerton Property section appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi yesterday and was remanded out of custody on $80 000 bail.
He was ordered to report every Friday at ZRP Glen Norah as part of his bail conditions.
Tichana was facing three counts of extortion after the owner of Craneride Petroleum Service Station reported the extortion attempts to the police.
The State will seek to prove that on January 24 this year, the complainant was contracted to ferry 120 000 litres of fuel with his three trucks from Beira to Zambia. When the trucks reached Zambia, the owner found a shortfall of 29 000 litres of fuel and reported the alleged theft to CID Southerton in Harare.
But on 16 February, Tichana and his accomplice, who is still at large, arrested the owner and threatened to throw him in jail unless he paid US$500. The owner paid the money in cash at CID Southerton in the presence of his wife and was released the following day after appearing at Mbare Magistrates Court.
On February 20, Tichana and his accomplice went to the service station twice where they demanded and received US$50 after alleging that they wanted to buy fuel.
They impounded the owner’s Toyota Mark 11 motor vehicle registration number ADG 9439 and a tanker trailer registration number ADC 5394 after accusing the owner of buying the tanker trailer and the motor vehicle using proceeds from stolen fuel. They went on to park the car and trailer at CID Southerton yard.
On February 21, Tichana and his accomplice went to the owner’s workplace again and made him sign a seizure form for the trailer and motor vehicle. They said they would release the two once they were paid US$1 000.
On Monday this week, the two went back to the owner to press him for the US$1 000. They were given US$10 and the owner said he did not have the rest of the money. They told him to find it and bring it to them at CID Southerton.
Instead, on the same day, the owner made a report to the CID police anti-corruption unit..
Later, detectives accompanied the owner to Southerton where they met Tichana along Apple Yard Road.
He allegedly once again demanded money from the owner, this time in front of the anti-corruption detectives, and was then arrested.
Online Reporter