Three up for robbery

on the pretext that they wanted to change R10 000 into United States dollars before robbing her of more than US$1 500.
Melody Chendaida (21), Ashley Rudoinyasha (22) and John Savuya (31) have been arrested.
They allegedly threatened Prisca Kangoma with a toy gun to force her to surrender all her cash and valuables.
Yesterday, the three were brought to court charged with robbery.
They were not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before regional magistrate Mr William Bhila who remanded them in custody to April 13.
Mr Bhila ordered the State to investigate complaints that police assaulted them while in custody.
Prosecutor Mr Norman Tsarwe alleges that on March 16 this year, the three acting in connivance, hatched a plan to steal from foreign currency dealers in Harare.
They booked a room at Ketali Lodge along Chiremba Road in Hillside.
Chendaida and Rudoinyasha went to Eastgate Shopp-ing Mall where Kangoma approached them and they misled her into believing that they wanted to change R10 000 into US dollars.
Savuya was watching from a distance, it is alleged.
The two women allegedly lured Kangoma to their lodge and Savuya followed them using another taxi.
While at the lodge the complainant counted US$1 410, which is equivalent to R10 000.
Suddenly Savuya, it is alleged, withdrew a “pistol” from his pocket and pointed it at Kangoma.
He allegedly demanded her to surrender everything she had.
The two women, the State says, gagged Kangoma with masking tape and took her Nokia N8 and a wallet with US$128 and R20 and fled from the scene.
Kangoma sought assistance from members of the public who apprehended Chendaida in a maize field adjacent to the lodge.
She was found with the complainant’s wallet and a roll of masking tape.
The other two were arrested at Balmoral Lodge following a tip off from members of the public.
A total of US$1 418 was recovered from them. – HR.