adminNoleen Makhurane Court Reporter
Police in Bulawayo are hunting for a five-man gang that posed as Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives to assault a family with machetes.
The fake CIDs were allegedly trying to rob the Ranchod family from Worringham suburb of gold. They had hired a car from Eugene Panganai and used it in the failed robbery. Panganai appeared in court yesterday but was exonerated.
The court heard how the suspects, led by Norman Shava, 43, duped the family into letting them into their home.
Magistrate Tawanda Muchemwa yesterday issued a warrant arrest for the gang who are up for three counts of assault and one for impersonating an officer of the law.
Prosecuting Brian Madziba said on November 22, 2015, Shava misrepresented himself to Nargin Ranchod as an investigating officer from the minerals unit.
“He said he was acting on information that Ranchod was keeping gold illegally at his house,” said Madziba.
Ranchod, the court heard, allowed Shava and his crew to enter his yard.
The prosecutor said the gang fanned out and searched the house but failed to find gold.
The court heard the gang became violent, kicking and slapping the maid while demanding that she shows them where the family had hidden the precious mineral.
“When Ranchod tried to restrain them from assaulting the maid he was struck with a machete on the back of his head and on his left arm,” said Madziba.
Deelan and Pradip Ranchod, he said, were also assaulted with a machete and sustained injuries after failing to avail the gold to the criminals.
“The gang later fled in a white Mark 2. Ranchod managed to smash the left rear-view mirror with a stone and captured the registration plate with a camera phone,” he said.
Police traced the vehicle to Panganai, who directed them to Shava saying he had borrowed the car on the day the crime was allegedly committed.
The Ranchods exonerated Panganai, telling the police he was not among the gang that assaulted them.
derick.khumalo