“Some 10 police officers raided the lodge around 4am last Monday morning and ordered guests booked at the lodge to wake up and produce their national identification documents. They ordered all women to accompany them to the police station,” said a police officer based at the station.
At the police station, the police allegedly beat up the women without notifying them of the offence they had committed. The women were then ordered to surrender whatever money they had. Most of the women sustained serious bruises and swelling. One of the women has difficulty hearing and is experiencing serious pains in her chest. On their release, some of the women made formal complaints against the police officers. They were advised to seek medical affidavits before their complaints could be entertained. According to police sources, the women sought medical treatment at Marondera Provincial Hospital. A police officer at Dombotombo Station only identified as Sergeant Major Tagarika said he was not in a position to talk to the press. Further investigation revealed that senior officers summoned the accused police officers and the women involved to Marondera District Police Headquarters where an identification parade was conducted. The women managed to identify some of their assailants: Constables Watson Mapingire, Nyasha Chitima, Garai and a female constable Mupoperi. Two of the police officers admitted assaulting and robbing the women. One senior police officer reportedly suggested that the matter should be solved amicably and urged the complainants to forgive the police officers in order to bring the matter to a close.