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TWO policemen from CID Bindura have been hauled to court on extortion charges.
Detective Constable Petros Kambalazza and Detective Assistant Inspector Elvis Magaya were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare regional magistrate Vongai Guwuriro.
Magaya was released on $50 000 bail while Kambalazza was remanded in custody to April 5 for bail considerations.
The State opposed bail for Kambalazza because of his conduct during arrest.
It is alleged that he resisted arrest and assaulted the arresting details.
The court heard that on December 7 last year, the duo together with one Detective Charuma arrested Godfrey Chimupanje on allegations of robbery.
Chimupanje was taken to court on December 12 and remanded in custody to December 23.
It was the State’s case that on December 13, the two visited Chimupanje at Bindura remand prison to pick him up for indications.
They allegedly took him to CID Bindura offices and told him that they had the capacity to exonerate him for a fee of US$1 000.
He told them that he couldn’t afford the amount and couldn’t call his wife as the police had taken her phone.
They allegedly told Chimupanje to call his mother-in-law so that he could speak to his wife.
The two women allegedly raised US$400, which they gave to Kambalazza, who went to Bindura Prison and booked Chimupanje out.
Chimupanje was then taken to court and granted bail.
Kambalazza allegedly started demanding money on each date Chimupanje was remanded and was given US$300 on four occasions.
After one court appearance, the duo forced Chimupanje into their car, accusing him of lying to them, and claimed they were preparing summons for him to be summoned back to court on March 15.
They searched him and took his personal documents and warned that if he did not bring the money, they would ensure he languished in remand prison.
They also threatened that they could stage a robbery and plant his work identity documents at the scene to incriminate him.
Chimupanje filed a report with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission which set up a trap leading to Kambalazza’s arrest.
Kambalazza was with Magaya when he took the trap money.
Online Reporter