Heads to roll following arrest of top cop for extortion

Zimbabwe police's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is set to undergo a major shake-up following the arrest of a senior cop for extortion on Friday, Bulawayo24 news has learnt.

Detective Chief Inspector Machinga the officer in charge of the CID frauds section in Zimbabwe's Southern region, was arrested after he allegedly demanded and received $300 from a suspect so he could release him from police holding cells.

DCI Machinga and other members of his department have reportedly been under surveillance since December last year, following numerous corruption allegations.

Although officials who are supposed to comment on the matter are keeping mum, it has emerged that DCI Machinga fell afoul of a sting operation mounted to flush out corruption within the CID.

Impeccable police sources yesterday said an investigation was ordered last year after numerous anonymous calls to Harare head office alleging cops in the department were crooked.

"Chief Superintendent Manzini, the officer in charge of Nkulumane District was instructed to head the investigations. He worked with officers from Police Internal Security and Intelligence (PISI). They are other police departments that were running a parallel investigation. We are told they have compiled a dossier detailing graft in the department. If true, heads will roll because corruption is an offence that warrants summary dismissal from the force," said an official.

It could not be established today (Sunday) whether DCI Machinga was still being held at Donnington Police Station in Bulawayo.

The mandatory 48 hours that he could be detained before going to court elapsed yesterday.

Cops in the city speculated that he could appear in court soon while others said he would appear before a police disciplinary committee.

Hundreds of cops have been fired from the force in the last two years for being corrupt.