Michael Mashiri
Three Harare men who pretended to be police officers and blackmailed their victim over spurious allegations have appeared in court.
George Munashe, 41, Alec Muswere,33 and Calisto Dube, 44, were summoned to the Harare Magistrates' Court facing charges of contravening Section 179 and 134 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23 respectively.
The court heard that in July 2022 the three approached Gilbert Gudo, who was parked outside Avondale Primary School gate waiting to pick up his kids.
They identified themselves as police officers from CID Harare Central and flashed an identification card which Gudo did not have a clear view of.
They alleged that Gudo had dropped a prostitute at corner 3rd Street and Fife Avenue, breaking Covid-19 rules and regulations in the process. They told Gudo that they were therefore taking him to Harare Central Police Station for quarantine.
After picking up his kids Gudo drove to Elephant College in Marlborough where he picked up his wife.
On the way from Marlborough one of the accused took charge of the vehicle and drove to Belgravia Shopping centre where he parked.
At the shopping centre one of the accused got out of the car together with Gudo, leaving Gudo’s wife in the vehicle with the other accused.
The accused who got down with Gudo demanded hush money to cover up the offence Gudo was alleged to have "committed."
Gudo handed over US$30. The accused demanded more cash, but Gudo insisted that he had no other money on him.
The accused consulted with his accomplices and accepted Gudo’s position. They immediately disappeared from the scene.
On December 14, 2022 at around 1200 hours, Munashe, Muswere and Dube went to St Johns High School in Emerald Hill, Harare where they targeted Wesley Munjemu who was visiting his mother.
They introduced themselves as CID officers from Harare Central and told Munjemu that they wanted to question him.
Upon being asked by Munjemu what they wanted from him, one of the accused became aggressive.
Munjemu asked for identification cards and two of the accused flashed some defaced documents which were not readable.
The noise attracted the attention of Munjemu's mother who came out of the house with her neighbor.
The three accused persons said they were taking Munjemu to ZRP Avondale and immediately asked Munjemu's mother and her neighbor to leave the scene.
Munjemu’s mother did not comply with the order but the neighbor, who was Gudo’s wife, went back into her house.
She has recognised one of the accused as the person who extorted some money from her husband in July 2022 and told Gudo, who was in the house.
Gudo peeped through the window and recognised two of the accused and went to the where they were with Munjemu and his mother.
Upon enquiring what was happening, the accused who did not recognize Gudo ordered him to move away.
Gudo then advised security guards manning the premises not to allow anyone out until his return before he drove off to ZRP Avondale.
When the trio tried to leave with Munjemu, security guards denied them exit access.
Gudo returned with police officers leading to the trio’s arrest.
Presiding magistrate Dennis Mangosi remanded the trio to January 17, 2023 on ZWL$ 100 000 bail each.
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