Cops nabbed for extortion

From Noah Pito in Hurungwe
Three policemen based at the Minerals and Border Control Unit in Chinhoyi were arrested in Karoi last week after they allegedly demanded $430 from a businessman they accused of selling South African goods without import permits. Josphat Kagande (37), Wilbert Marawanyika (32) and Innocent Mhandu have since appeared before Karoi magistrate Mr Obedience Matare facing criminal abuse of duty as public officers.

The three were released on $50 bail each and remanded to August 3.

It is alleged that on July 17 while manning a roadblock at the 204km peg along the Harare-Chirundu Highway, Mhandu stopped a lorry with 100 boxes of Britelight soap belonging to Magunje shop owner, Valentine Bayela.

Mhandu, who identified himself to the driver, Shepherd Mudimu, as a detective based at CID Chinhoyi, demanded to see Mudimu’s drivers licence and receipts for the boxes of soap.

When Mudimu indicated that he had no receipts as he had just been assigned by his employer to take the goods to his shops in Magunje, Mhandu allegedly arrested him and ordered him to lead them to the shop in Chikangwe township, where he had collected the soap.

Mudimu and the three officers travelled to Chikangwe aboard a silver Mercedes Benz driven by Marawanyika. In Chikangwe the officers introduced themselves to the owner of Maunganidze Store, Maxwell Mukoshori whom they told that they wanted to verify the source of goods in Mudimu’s vehicle.

Although Mukoshori told the three officers that he had bought the goods from a Harare wholesale and not South Africa, Kagande allegedly threatened to arrest him and confiscate the goods for seizure by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority in Chinhoyi. To drop the charges, the three allegedly demanded $400 plus an extra $30 to drop several traffic offences against Mudimu.

It is alleged the next day the three officers came back to Chikangwe township targeting Maregere Supermarket where they also demanded import permits for South African products. The three were represented by Mr Samuel Muemeki.