BULAWAYO - Two senior and three junior police officers appeared in court on Friday for stealing 100 litres diesel from a truck driver.Appearing before Bulawayo Magistrate Phathekile Msipa, Sergeant Wilson Gondo and Inspector Likani Mlalazi together with Constables Tinashe Mutsambwa, Patrick Machaya and Gibson Mupasiri were charged with criminal abuse of duty as public officers.
The policemen approached truck driver, Elvis Makandangwe, and accused him of having proceeded through a red robot at the intersection of Main Street and 9th Avenue.
They demanded US$200 as a fine, but Makandangwe told them that he had no money.
They then ordered Makandangwe to drive his truck to a dark street corner on the intersection of 4th Avenue and Jason Moyo Street where they ordered him to drain diesel from his truck and fill four 25 litre containers with fuel.
They took the four containers to their superiors Mlalazi and Gondo who instructed them to take the diesel home.
The following day Makandangwe made a report at Bulawayo Central police and an informal identification parade was carried out. The complainant managed to identify Mutsambwa and Machaya and they in turn implicated Mupasiri, Gondo and Mlalazi
The five police officers were remanded out of custody on US$100 bail each and will appear in court on October 14.
Post published in: News