TWO police officers and their civilian accomplice were
yesterday dragged to court charged with theft.
The trio of Kelvin Gwai 29, Simbarashe Sibanda, 38, and
Tonderai Shenje 36, was not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare
magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa as the complainant had showed an intention of
withdrawing the matter.
The complainant is Simbarashe Gwamure, 38, who owns Autovit
Investments company based in Mutare and is in the business of cellphones and
laptops.
Gwamure has a business partner Edwin Makonese who is based
in Harare whom he assigned to ask for quotations from different cellphone and
laptop dealing companies in South Africa and Dubai such that they would import
the goods.
On February 2, the court heard that Gwamure sent his
employee Gwai, to take US$101 000 to Harare which was to be handed over to
Makonese.
On February 3, whilst in possession of the money, Gwai is
alleged to have hatched a plan to steal part of the money that he had given by
his employer and called one Detective Sergeant Pakati who is still at large.
The two met at Roadport in Harare and the two connived to
steal the money and enlisted the services of Sibanda who is a cop stationed at
Commercial Crimes Division Northern Region and is an acquaintance to Pakati.
Pakati then called Sibanda and Shenje who both agreed to
meet the two at Roadport.
While they were waiting for the two police officers, Paketi
hired a taxi where he and Gwai boarded and while in the taxi, Gwaai pulled out
US$20 000 which he handed over to Paketi.
They then instructed the taxi driver to drive to a place
they would meet Sibanda and Shenje.
When the four met, they all got into a taxi and to cover up
for the theft, they went to CCD where they opened a docket against Gwai for
violating the exchange control act.
Gwai in turn called Jaison Makore informing him that he had
been arrested and he instructed him to collect a bag that he had and hand it
over to Makonese who was given the rest of the money, excluding the US$20000 he
had pulled out.
On February 4, Gwai was taken to court purporting that he
had been found in possession of US$500 and RTGS$100.
On February 4, detectives received information of the deal
the four had made and arrested Gwai who admitted that he had committed the
offence and implicated his accomplices.
Shenje was arrested and US$1100 and RTGS$100 was recovered
from his house. Shenje led to the arrest of Sibanda from whom US$175 was
recovered.
Invetsigations revealed that Shenje had prepared a state
outline indicating that Gwai had violated the Exchange Control Act but nothing
like that ever happened.
Lancelot Mutsokoti appeared for the State. H Metro
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