Six cops nabbed over $63 extortion

BULAWAYO – Six police officers in Bulawayo have been arrested for allegedly extorting $63 from a truck driver. The six are Paul Haisoswi (51), Samuel Ndongwe (38), Sailas Murove Mudengu (28), Benjamin Matavo (29), Divison Sibanda (21) and Prayer Mapaike whose age was not given.

Their ranks were also not given in court. Haisoswi, Ndongwe, Mudengu, Matavo, Sibanda and Mapaike were not asked to plead to the charge of extortion when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Miss Eveline Mashavakure yesterday.

They were remanded out of custody on their own cognisance to Friday next week for start of trial. Mr Liberty Mcijo is representing the accused persons.

The court was told that Haisoswi, Ndongwe, Mudengu, Matavo, Sibanda and Mapaike were stationed at different police stations in Bulawayo and had been assigned to the Police Reaction Unit responsible for driving around suburbs in the city looking for wanted persons.

Also as their duties, they were supposed to react to public disorder and arrest offenders according to their deployment register. Haisoswi, Mudengu and Matavo were stationed at Bulawayo Central Police Station, while Ndongwe was at Hillside Police Station.

The other two alleged accomplices Sibanda and Mapaike were stationed at Western Commonage and Magwegwe Police stations respectively.

The State led by Mrs Memory Ndlovu will seek to prove that the six detectives were posted to the reaction squad on 3 September and were supposed to patrol the city until 4 November as a team.

It is alleged that on Monday, the six were deployed on a motorised patrol and while in Cowdray Park suburb, they allegedly spotted a truck parked in front of a house and approached it. The court was told that Haisoswi, Ndongwe, Mudengu, Matavo, Sibanda and Mapaike approached the driver of the truck, Mr Lucky Moyo and allegedly told him that they were going to impound it because it had defects.

The truck was being used in the business of carrying pit sand and river sand.

It is said Mr Moyo phoned his supervisor, Mr Artwell Dube and when he arrived, the detectives allegedly demanded money so that they would not impound the truck and take it to the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID).

The court was told that Mr Dube gave the six detectives the $63 which he allegedly handed to Ndongwe who urged him to repair the truck before driving off. The matter came to light when the owner of the truck, Mr Ndodana Tshawe phoned Mr Moyo demanding daily earnings from the use of the truck and was told that the money had been taken by the police.

The matter was reported to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Fraud Squad and investigations led to the arrest of the six. The complainants positively identified the six detectives at a parade at Bulawayo Central Police Station. The Chronicle