News / Regional
Three policemen acquitted of R25 000 extortion
11 May 2012 at 00:48hrs | Views
THREE policemen, who were facing charges of extorting R25 000 from two cigarette dealers they had arrested for attempted smuggling, have been acquitted.
The dealers were arrested while trying to smuggle into South Africa 100 boxes of export quality Dullas cigarettes.
Assistant Inspector and member- in-charge of Tshituripasi Police Post, Rueben Kangausaru (43), Seargent Reston Marimbike (29) along with Constable Ronald Musasa had all denied the extortion charges.
Beitbridge magistrate Mrs Auxillia Chiumburu cleared the trio of the charges because of lack of incriminating evidence.
Prosecutor Mr Reason Mutimba had alleged that on June 23 last year, the complainant, Wiseman Sairai of Dulibadzimu in Beitbridge town, was driving a Toyota truck towing a trailer carrying 100 boxes of Dullas export quality cigarettes.
He intended to smuggle the contraband into South Africa through an illegal crossing point along the Limpopo River.
Sairai was arrested together with another man driving a similar Toyota near Tshituripasi Police Station.
The trio had earlier on arrested other smugglers and took them to the same police post. The three cops reportedly took the smugglers to the police station but did not book them in their official books as per normal procedure.
They demanded R25 000 from the complainant as way of buying his freedom and the contraband. He offered R5 000, which they refused.
The following day they detained the two men in the police cells and later released them and ordered them to drive the car laden with cigarettes to a nearby bush. Kangausaru and associates retrieved the car keys and secured them awaiting the payment of the R25 000 by the complainant.
It is alleged that Henry Chikwavira, the owner of the contraband, came and pleaded with Kangausaru for him to release Sairai, his partner and the contraband upon payment of R9 000, which he had raised.
The trio, however, stuck to their guns insisting they wanted R25 000 cash.
It was further alleged that Sairai's partner later escaped from the police post and drove away in another vehicle with another contraband using a duplicate key. He said Sairai also escaped and hitch-hiked to Beitbridge town where he made a report to the main police station.
Mr David Mhiribidi of Mhiribidi, Phulu and Ncube Legal Practitioners represented the trio.
The dealers were arrested while trying to smuggle into South Africa 100 boxes of export quality Dullas cigarettes.
Assistant Inspector and member- in-charge of Tshituripasi Police Post, Rueben Kangausaru (43), Seargent Reston Marimbike (29) along with Constable Ronald Musasa had all denied the extortion charges.
Beitbridge magistrate Mrs Auxillia Chiumburu cleared the trio of the charges because of lack of incriminating evidence.
Prosecutor Mr Reason Mutimba had alleged that on June 23 last year, the complainant, Wiseman Sairai of Dulibadzimu in Beitbridge town, was driving a Toyota truck towing a trailer carrying 100 boxes of Dullas export quality cigarettes.
He intended to smuggle the contraband into South Africa through an illegal crossing point along the Limpopo River.
The trio had earlier on arrested other smugglers and took them to the same police post. The three cops reportedly took the smugglers to the police station but did not book them in their official books as per normal procedure.
They demanded R25 000 from the complainant as way of buying his freedom and the contraband. He offered R5 000, which they refused.
The following day they detained the two men in the police cells and later released them and ordered them to drive the car laden with cigarettes to a nearby bush. Kangausaru and associates retrieved the car keys and secured them awaiting the payment of the R25 000 by the complainant.
It is alleged that Henry Chikwavira, the owner of the contraband, came and pleaded with Kangausaru for him to release Sairai, his partner and the contraband upon payment of R9 000, which he had raised.
The trio, however, stuck to their guns insisting they wanted R25 000 cash.
It was further alleged that Sairai's partner later escaped from the police post and drove away in another vehicle with another contraband using a duplicate key. He said Sairai also escaped and hitch-hiked to Beitbridge town where he made a report to the main police station.
Mr David Mhiribidi of Mhiribidi, Phulu and Ncube Legal Practitioners represented the trio.
Source - TH
