A Harare man, Bigboy Mujenda, and four serving members of the police force all from different Harare police stations were on Thursday arrested in Mazowe at a security checkpoint after they harassed police officers.
Mujenda was arrested for impersonation and extortion while the police officers – Sergeant William of Mabvuku, Constable Mupingo, from Ruwa, Constables Ruvuke and Mzilikazi from Mabelreign – were charged with forgery, assault and bribery among other charges.
In a police memorandum dated 16 September 2020, the four police officers, together with the fake detective Bigboy Mujenda connived to commit crimes of extortion while pretending to be members of the police internal investigations department.
The group arrived at a roadblock in Mvurwi where they misrepresented themselves as internal investigations officers while traveling in an unregistered white Chevrolet with no number plates.
The group allegedly assaulted the driver of a kombi carrying passengers that had passed by, accusing him of failing to stop at a roadblock. They extorted US$60 from him.
Later that day, the police officers and the fake detective arrived at a roadblock in Mazowe.
While they were busy harassing the police officers on duty, the kombi whose occupants were extorted of US$60 arrived and positively identified them as the team that had previously extorted them.
The Mazowe police officers arrested the team and took them to Mazowe police station where they were charged with forgery, assault, and bribery among other charges, and detained.