daniel chigunwePaidamoyo Bore
A POLICEMAN has been accused of teaming up with two other people to run a Mafia-like extortion ring in which they fleeced vendors in Mbare.
The gang claimed the vendors were paying some form of “protection” fee.
It’s a shadowy operation which has its roots in the Sicilian Mafia world where shop owners were made to pay such fees to the godfathers.
Innocent Chiza, 40, a policeman, and two vendors, Chakupa Chamunorwa, 26, and Tawanda Chibanda, 40, appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi yesterday.
They were each granted $50 000 bail.
They will be back in court on May 10.
According to the State, Chamunorwa and Chibanda operate in the Magaba area, while Chiza is from the Police Reaction Group.
It is alleged that sometime, between December last year and January, the trio hatched a plan to extort money from vendors operating at Magaba, opposite Mupedzanhamo Flea Market.
The court heard that Chamunorwa and Chibanda coerced vendors to pay US$1 and US$2 per market stall daily as protection fees so they would not be arrested by the police.
One vendor informed the police about the extortion scheme.
Detectives from the Commercial Crimes Unit arrested Chamunorwa and Chibanda.
The two then implicated Chiza.
Zebedia Bofu appeared for the State.
Online Reporter