Plot backfires for transport seeker

Chinhoyi Bureau
A Chinhoyi man who made a false murder report in a bid to get transport to follow his wife who had left with another man has been slapped with a four-month jail term.
Ranganayi Banda (40) made a murder report at Chinhoyi Central Police Station on January 28, prompting the deployment of six officers and detectives to attend the “scene” at a village about 110km away.
Using the false name of Givemore Mugwagwa, he claimed that a Trymore Katemanyoka had stabbed a Noel Mukokeri to death with a knife.
The officer-in-charge deployed Assistant Ins-pector Chishato, Detective Sergeant Tsikai, Sergeant-Major Mutusva, Detective Constable Chipisa, Det Const Chinamano and Const Antonio.
They took a metal casket and drove to the scene with Banda giving them directions to the “scene”.
Banda directed them to Mazhaka Village in Mhangura, more than 100km from the police station.
He told the driver to stop when they got to headman Kingrose Nyanhoka’s homestead saying he wanted to tell his uncle who lived about 100 metres away what had happened.
After about 15 minutes of waiting, the cops got suspicious and started asking villagers what was going on. One of them said they had seen Banda running off.
Around this point they discovered Banda had been using a false name and that no one had heard of the murder that he had reported.
They tracked him down and arrested him for making a false report.
Asked in court why he had made the report, he said he had no money to follw his wife who had fled with another man.
“Your worship I had no money to follow my wife who had left with the keys to my house when she went with another man.
“So I made up the story to the police.”
Magistrate Mr Fanny Nyakudya sentenced Banda to six months in prison but suspended two on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
Ms Patience Chirimo prosecuted.