Highlands’s cops nabbed

Four police officers stationed at Highlands Police Station were last Friday brought to court charged for criminal abuse of duty after they reportedly received bribes from motorists at a road block.

Moster Jambwa, 40, Jeremiah Kasawaya 39, Washington Sande, 30, and Tendai Mutanhu, 37, were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare magistrate Judith Taruvinga.

Allegations are that on December 30, 2020, police internal investigations department received a tip off to the effect that the four police officers who were manning a roadblock along Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Road were receiving bribes from motorists and hiding money in a car that was parked 100 metres away from the spot.

The court heard that Chief Inspectors Gwenhure, Mugwenhi and Shuro teamed up and went to the site to investigate and when they arrived they reportedly observed that the four had finished duty and handed over duty to the afternoon shift workers.

They reportedly went to the parked car where they were intercepted but Kasawaya refused to have his car searched. When they were searched none of them had cash on their person.

A warrant was obtained from a regional magistrate at Harare Magistrates court for the car to be searched and a black diary was recovered with $745, US$190 in one partition of a wallet, US$32 was found in another partition of the wallet, $1000 was found in the rear left passenger pouch, US$180 and $955 was found in plastic bag.

The money is currently being held as an exhibit. Lancelot Mutsokoti appeared for the State.