Cop subjects woman to 9-hour rape ordeal

A POLICE officer stationed at Sauerstown Police Station in Bulawayo has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman and forcing her to pose for indecent pictures during a nine-hour ordeal.

The police officer only identified as Constable Rambi Bigboy who resides at Ross Camp Police Station met the complainant (name withheld for ethical reasons) on November 16 at a clinic in North End where they were both collecting medication for an undisclosed ailment.

Sources close to the investigation said the officer lied to the woman that he was a Central Intelligence Operative.

"At the clinic the two talked for a while before exchanging phone numbers. It is said that the constable offered to drop the complainant at her house.

"He visited her on three different occasions and would spoil her with money. On the last occasion the complainant told Const Bigboy that she wanted to leave for South Africa to seek greener pastures and that did not go down well with him.

"Bigboy got angry and demanded all the money he had spent on the complainant and she promised to bring it back a few days later," a source said.

"On November 23, Const Bigboy found the complainant in bed with her boyfriend in an early morning visit around 5AM. He produced a baton threatening to beat the complainant before chasing her boyfriend away".

Const Bigboy allegedly ordered the complainant not to dress up and took pictures of her undressed. He later allegedly raped her several times while pinning her on the wall before leaving with her S5 cellphone at around 1PM.

"On the very same day, the complainant reported the matter at Mzilikazi Police Station and she discovered that he had given her a false name. He had said his name was Benjamin Rhemba Dube and worked as a CIO at Bulawayo State House in Sauerstown," the source said.

For a while the police could not locate Const Bigboy as he had changed his contact numbers.

The source said: "On December 5, Constable Bigboy called the complainant demanding his money. I think complainant told him to come and get the money at her house. She quickly contacted the police and told them that Bigboy was on his way to her place.

"Upon the arrival of Constable Bigboy at the complainant's place, the police were already there and arrested him."

Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango said she was not aware of the matter.

"I can't comment on the issue because at the moment I'm not at work. I will only get details of the story when I get to the office and that could be tomorrow," she said.