Fake cop targeting airtime vendors arrested

000 in cash and valuables has appeared in court.
Richard Timba (40) allegedly teamed up with other robbers and approached airtime vendors identifying themselves as police officers by producing fake police identity cards.
Timba was not asked to plead to two counts of robbery when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Shane Kubonera recently who remanded him in custody to July 5.
Prosecutor Ms Svodai Kadivirire alleges that on May 3 this year at around 6pm Timba and his accomplices went to Lovemore Matekwe an airtime dealer.
They were allegedly driving an ivory Nissan Sunny without registration numbers when they confronted him at Budiriro 4 Shopping Centre.
It is alleged they told him he was under arrest.
Matekwe reportedly asked them to show their identification cards again and he was slapped on the face before he was handcuffed and bundled into the car.
They drove to an open ground in Glen Norah where they searched Matekwe and took US$5 300 in cash, a Nokia 1280 cellphone and recharge cards worth US$3 600, it is alleged.
Afterwards Timba allegedly pushed Matekwe out of the car and forced him to lie on his stomach before one of his accomplices removed the handcuffs and hurriedly got into the car and sped off.
Matekwe lost US$8 880 and nothing was recovered.
On May 2 at around 7pm Timba and his accomplices reportedly drove to Mercy Kawanza’s house in Sunningdale 2.
They parked Timba’s white Mazda B1600 outside the gate and waylaid her.
Kawanza returned from work and they reportedly confronted her and identified themselves as police officers from Waterfalls Police Station.
They demanded to know where Kawanza’s husband was alleging they wanted him in connection with a case involving dangerous drugs, the court heard.
When she suggested phoning her husband, they slapped her on the face and ordered her to comply with their orders, the State alleges.
They allegedly bundled her into the car and drove to Sunningdale 3 opposite SPCA and ordered her to surrender her handbag that had US$9 600, a monarch bag with US$4 800 and an identity card.
Kawanza was shoved out of the vehicle before they sped off.