News / National
Teacher, Fake policeman, Robber gets three and half years behind bars
07 Nov 2011 at 22:30hrs | Views
A fake policeman, Chenjerai Masviba (33) from Hurungwe who robbed two airtime vendors a total of US$315 worth of air time and US$292 cash, has been jailed an effective three and half years.
Masviba, a teacher at Tengwe Secondary School committed the crime in August last year. Karoi magistrate Mr Elisha Singano jailed Masviba after convicting him on a charge of kidnapping and two counts of robbery.
Charges against Masviba arose on August 26 last year in Karoi when he falsely accused airtime vendor Shepherd Mukango (22) of dealing in fake United States dollars.
Masviba, who was clad in police riot gear, was in the company of his accomplice who is still at large. The duo took Mukango to a house in the town saying they were investigating a fake currency scam.
On their return from the house, Masviba informed Mukango that he was under arrest.
Masviba then ordered Mukango to surrender US$115 worth of airtime, US$42 cash, a cap, a Nokia N8 cellphone with two Sim cards and a reflective bib. He took his victim to Harare aboard a haulage
truck claiming that he was facing serious charges that needed the attention of Harare Central Police Station.
When they got to Banket the three disembarked from the haulage truck because Masviba claimed he was also investigating a murder case. He left Mukango in the custody of his accomplice and entered a supermarket where he met another airtime vendor by the name Chamunorwa Moyo.
He accused Moyo of being a suspect in a murder case of a Karoi-based Zanu-PF activist.
Although Moyo queried it, he was silenced when Masviba threatened him with a pistol that he pulled out of his jacket.
He warned him to comply saying he was from the CID Homicide Section.
Moyo was taken outside the supermarket where Masviba slapped him once in the face, warning him to tell the truth.
This instilled fear in Moyo, who upon being ordered to surrender all that he had, complied and gave Masviba US$200 worth of airtime, US$250, a cellphone and a reflective bib. The four boarded another haulage truck that dropped them near Harare Agricultural Show Grounds before they walked into town.
At Gutsai Supermarket Masviba asked his accomplice to buy food for the two after which they would take them to Harare Central Police Station. The accomplice gave Masviba US$1 so that he would buy food for Moyo.
Masviba gave the US$1 to Moyo to buy food for himself at Gutsai. But Moyo demanded that they go together into the supermarket. Again Masviba threatened to shoot him and he complied and went into the shop. Masviba fled and was nowhere to be found. Masviba's accomplice who also made false claims that he wanted to look for relatives of the murdered Zanu-PF activist so that they would go together to Harare Central Police Station also tricked Mukango the same way.
Masviba was arrested on November 24 the same year after Mukango saw him in the same police gear and alerted the police.
Moyo also positively identified Masviba. Mr Webster Dimingo prosecuted.
Masviba, a teacher at Tengwe Secondary School committed the crime in August last year. Karoi magistrate Mr Elisha Singano jailed Masviba after convicting him on a charge of kidnapping and two counts of robbery.
Charges against Masviba arose on August 26 last year in Karoi when he falsely accused airtime vendor Shepherd Mukango (22) of dealing in fake United States dollars.
Masviba, who was clad in police riot gear, was in the company of his accomplice who is still at large. The duo took Mukango to a house in the town saying they were investigating a fake currency scam.
On their return from the house, Masviba informed Mukango that he was under arrest.
Masviba then ordered Mukango to surrender US$115 worth of airtime, US$42 cash, a cap, a Nokia N8 cellphone with two Sim cards and a reflective bib. He took his victim to Harare aboard a haulage
truck claiming that he was facing serious charges that needed the attention of Harare Central Police Station.
When they got to Banket the three disembarked from the haulage truck because Masviba claimed he was also investigating a murder case. He left Mukango in the custody of his accomplice and entered a supermarket where he met another airtime vendor by the name Chamunorwa Moyo.
He accused Moyo of being a suspect in a murder case of a Karoi-based Zanu-PF activist.
Although Moyo queried it, he was silenced when Masviba threatened him with a pistol that he pulled out of his jacket.
He warned him to comply saying he was from the CID Homicide Section.
Moyo was taken outside the supermarket where Masviba slapped him once in the face, warning him to tell the truth.
This instilled fear in Moyo, who upon being ordered to surrender all that he had, complied and gave Masviba US$200 worth of airtime, US$250, a cellphone and a reflective bib. The four boarded another haulage truck that dropped them near Harare Agricultural Show Grounds before they walked into town.
At Gutsai Supermarket Masviba asked his accomplice to buy food for the two after which they would take them to Harare Central Police Station. The accomplice gave Masviba US$1 so that he would buy food for Moyo.
Masviba gave the US$1 to Moyo to buy food for himself at Gutsai. But Moyo demanded that they go together into the supermarket. Again Masviba threatened to shoot him and he complied and went into the shop. Masviba fled and was nowhere to be found. Masviba's accomplice who also made false claims that he wanted to look for relatives of the murdered Zanu-PF activist so that they would go together to Harare Central Police Station also tricked Mukango the same way.
Masviba was arrested on November 24 the same year after Mukango saw him in the same police gear and alerted the police.
Moyo also positively identified Masviba. Mr Webster Dimingo prosecuted.
Source - TH
