Police killed Shurugwi murder suspect - ex cop

Police in Shurugwi allegedly killed an armed robbery suspect and lied that he had shot himself while in custody on Sunday.

The claims come following reports that armed robbery suspect Simbarashe Muchengeti  shot himself in Shurugwi Central Police station after he had been brought in for question on a spate of robberies.

But a former detective with the Criminal investigations Department (CID) speaking on condition of anonymity said it had become norm for the police to kill armed robbery suspect to avoid the burden of court appearances.

"This has been going on for a long time. Remember in 2010 when the police opened fire on three youths killing one instantly yet the other was hospitalised outside Standard Chartered Bank in Bulawayo.

"They were shot at on suspicion that they were armed robbers but it turned out that all three were innocent. The matter was swept under the carpet and even up to now, the detectives who shot those buys were not charged."

The ex-detective said there was no way the police would have detained Muchengeti without conducting a thorough search on him.

"Remember wanted criminals like Muchengeti are not arrested by ordinary uniformed police officers but crack units of the police and in this case the CID Homicide section. At the point of arrest, the engagement is not a friendly one because this is a dangerous suspect who is probably armed," the ex-detective said.

"The arresting detectives conduct a search on the person of the suspect even at his home. The first thing they are looking for is a weapon. There is no way the suspect was made to remove his shoes as procedure and still remained with his gun."

The ex-detective said there were two scenarios that could have led to Muchengeti's death.

"It's either Muchengeti was shot at the time of his arrest, brought to the police station and left to bleed to death or he was actually shot at the police station with a gun found in his possession to make it seem like suicide," the ex-cop said.

Efforts to get a comment from police spokesperson charity Charamba were fruitless.