A Harare man, Luke Takuruvinga, was on Tuesday arrested and charged with criminal nuisance after police officers accused him of filming them.
The police officers also alleged that Takuruvinga said they were thieves who were after bribes. A case alert by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum reads:
Man arrested for using a mobile phone at a police station
A Harare man was arrested at a police station on Tuesday after police officers accused him of filming them while he was using his mobile phone to try to call a friend.
Luke Takuruvinga was a passenger on a Mbare – bound bus from Epworth, which was forced to drive to Hatfield Police Station by police officers over an undisclosed offence.
While at the police station, Taruvinga took out his phone to communicate with a friend, but the police officers immediately pounced, accusing him of filming them.
The victim claims that he was slapped several times by the police officers before he was detained.
Taruvinga was charged with criminal nuisance after the police officers also claimed he insulted them by saying they were thieves who were after bribes.
However, he was eventually released following the intervention of lawyer Noble Chinhanu from the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum.
He opted to pay an admission of guilty fine after he was threatened with overnight detention in order for him to appear in court on Wednesday.
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