Two police officers have been arraigned before the Harare Magistrates Court facing charges of criminal abuse of office after they allegedly demanded US$ 1000 bribe from a man they had arrested.
It is the State case that on the 5th of January 2023 Gideon Gunda stationed at ZRP Jotsholo and Admire Nyuke stationed in Chegutu and two others who are still at large, disguised themselves as Municipal Police officers but later produced ZRP identity cards and threatened to arrest Stephen Mavhiya, the complainant, for picking and dropping passengers at Harare Showgrounds.
The accused persons ordered the complainant to drive to Harare Central Stores where they took his mobile phone and instructed him to sit on the passenger seat whilst one of them started driving the vehicle.
The accused persons demanded a USD1 000 bribe from the complainant to let him go. The complainant convinced the accused persons to let him call his brother Victor Mavhiya whom he secretly alerted that he had been arrested by bogus municipality officers.
He also convinced the accused persons to meet with his friend, Louis Musiiwa who was bringing the bribe money in Mount Pleasant.
Louis and Victor hatched a plan to effect a citizen’s arrest on the accused persons in Mount Pleasant Victor pursued the accused persons and blocked them off at a robot controlled intersection as they tried to flee from the meeting place in Mount Pleasant leading to their arrest.
The accused persons were granted bail and the matter was remanded to the 16’h of January 2023.
