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Nyore Madzianike
Senior Court Reporter
TWO suspected armed robbers, arrested along the Harare-Mutare road following a police shoot-out moments after allegedly robbing a motorist of US$113 000, claimed detectives from CID Homicide aimed at the wrong target and planted evidence in their car as cover up upon realising they had shot and injured innocent people.
Charles Sangare (57) and Mayedzenga (52), both of Chitungwiza, claim they were on their way to a funeral wake in Chendambuya when the detectives from CID Homicide allegedly mistook them for armed robbers and shot them.
Sangare and Mayedzenga made the claims in the bail application filed at the High Court by lawyer Mr Tawanda Takaindisa.
The two are charged with armed robbery.
The State had it that on June 17 at around 9pm and at Bromley along Harare-Mutare road, the duo along with others who are still at large were driving a Honda CRV (ACF3946).
It is the State’s case that they then blocked a motorist who was driving an unregistered Honda Fit and shot him in the left arm, forcing him to stop.
They allegedly fired several shots in the air demanding money before they robbed him of US$113 000 and other belongings and drove towards Marondera.
It is said they left the Honda Fit some 6km away from the robbery scene.
Sangare and Mayedzenga were arrested near Eagle Tanning along Harare-Mutare road and were allegedly found in possession of 2×12 bore rounds of ammunition, 2x9mm live ammunition in their car.
The two, in their bail application, denied ever possessing ammunition or guns saying the police planted them in a bid to cover up their mistake.
They said they handed themselves to the police at Marondera Police Station.
“The first applicant (Sangare) was shot once and second was shot twice. When the vehicle stopped, the applicants disembarked from the car seeking refuge. The second applicant failed to run away since he had been shot.
“The first applicant managed to run away and hid till next morning and walked to Marondera Police Station where he indicated that they were attacked by people whom they suspect to be armed robbers. It was at that stage that he gave a description of the vehicle that had attacked them, only to be advised by the police that they were members of CID Marondera,” they said.
The two suspects claim the CID Homicide and police knew that what they did amounts to criminal conduct hence the motive to plant evidence in the car, which they said belonged to Sangare’s son.
“The applicants will state that they are not armed robbers and the police mistakenly shot them and now they are planting evidence to make it appear that they are criminals in a bid to cover up for their negligence in the execution of their duties,” they said.
They claimed in their application that they used Dema Road on their way to Marondera and there was no way they could have been at Broomley where the allegedly robbery occurred.
A tollgate history will confirm their route to Marondera, said the suspects.
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