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THE extortion case in which two detectives from Bulawayo Central Police Station allegedly extorted R80 000 from “two gold dealers” was on Wednesday postponed to Wednesday next week when more witnesses are expected to testify. The State led evidence from two policemen, Constables Paul Nyamukanyiwa and Anthony Chinanzvire.
Const Nyamukanyiwa is stationed at Luveve Police Station and accompanied Detective Sergeants Moses Taruva and Godfrey Moyo to house Number 1016 Emakhandeni to arrest Mr Jabulani Gwizi and Mr Aleck Zikhali.
Const Chinanzvire is stationed at Western Commonage Police Station and helped the two detectives to uncuff Messrs Gwizi and Zikhali.
In their defence, Det Sgts Taruva and Moyo separately denied that they extorted the money at gunpoint, saying they did not have a firearm.
They said they neither assaulted the complainants nor threatened to shoot them for illegally dealing in gold.
Asked why they went to Mpopoma without Const Nyamukanyiwa, Det Sgts Taruva and Moyo said they had failed to get evidence against the complainants and it was no longer necessary to go with him.
The court was told that Det Sgt Moyo produced the pistol and assaulted Messrs Gwizi and Zikhali in the absence of his colleague who had gone to drop Const Nyamukanyiwa at his workplace.
Messrs Gwizi and Zikhali earlier told the court that their statements recorded at the police station had been altered.
They indicated that they wanted their grandmother, identified as Ms Eveline Tshabalala, who handed the cash box with the money in question to the detectives, their landlady and a driver who witnessed the events when the two were arrested to testify.
Western Commonage magistrate Ms Tancy Dube, in consultation with defence counsel Mr David Mhiribidi, of D W Mhiribidi and prosecutor Mr Tony Kamudyariwa agreed that the matter be postponed to 16 October to have more witnesses testify. Det Sgt Taruva (36) of Flat D 5 Ross Camp and Det Sgt Moyo (38) of Sibet Court at the corner of Jason Moyo Street and 14th Avenue were stationed at the Criminal
Investigations Department (CID) at Bulawayo Central Police Station.
The two detectives confirmed that they were off duty when they allegedly committed the offence and Det Sgt Moyo said he was authorised by
his superior to look for a detective to arrest the complainants, and he teamed up with Det Sgt Taruva.
On 1 September Det Sgts Taruva and Moyo allegedly hatched a plan to extort money from the complainants and drove to Luveve Police Station in a vehicle driven by Moyo.
They were allegedly armed with a service pistol and misrepresented to Const Nyamukanyiwa who was on duty at Luveve Police Station that they wanted to arrest Mr Gwizi for a series of unlawful entry cases and they wanted a police officer in uniform to escort them.
The court was told that at house Number 1016 Emakhandeni, they handcuffed the complainants and allegedly started assaulting them before shoving them into their car.
It is alleged that Det Sgts Taruva and Moyo told the complainants that they had been sent to shoot and kill them because they were illegally dealing in gold. They allegedly later told Const Nyamukanyiwa that they were taking the two complainants to Bulawayo Central Police Station.
The court was told that the two detectives demanded a bribe of R100 000 and fearing for their lives Messrs Gwizi and Zikhali told them that they had some money in Mpopoma which was being kept by Ms Tshabalala. They allegedly drove to Mpopoma where the two detectives took away R80 000 and left the complainants with R20 000.
Det Sgts Taruva and Moyo allegedly dumped Messrs Gwizi and Zikhali at Nguboyenja Fly Over after warning them not to tell anyone about what had happened.
The two complainants reported the matter to the police on 2 September leading to the arrest of the two.
The money and cash box were not recovered.
Online Reporter