Senior cop up for raping woman in custody

A senior Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officer stationed at ZRP Zaka has been arrested and is facing six counts of rape after allegedly sexually assaulting a married 18-year-old woman who had been taken into police custody.

The officer, whose name has been withheld, appeared before Masvingo Regional Magistrate Mr Innocent Bepura. The alleged offences are said to have occurred on September 2 and 3, 2025, at ZRP Zaka.

According to the State, the matter arose after police received a report of malicious damage to property that had been filed against the woman's husband. Detectives were dispatched to investigate but failed to locate him at his homestead. Instead, they found his wife and took her to ZRP Zaka after notifying the local village head, instructing that the husband should later report to the police station to collect her.

Court proceedings heard that the detectives arrived at the police station at around 7:30pm and the woman was allegedly left in the administration block, where the accused officer was seated.

The State alleges that the officer offered the woman a place to sleep at his residence, to which she agreed. Upon arrival, he allegedly instructed her to bathe before sleeping. It is further alleged that the officer raped her four times during the night.

Prosecutors allege that the abuse continued the following day, with the officer allegedly raping the woman again in the morning and in the afternoon before eventually releasing her.

After her release, the woman reportedly disclosed the alleged assaults to her grandmother and later reunited with her husband three days afterwards. The court heard that the husband subsequently found messages on his wife's phone suggesting a relationship with the accused officer, prompting him to file a police report.

The State is being represented by prosecutor Liberty Hove. The matter remains before the court.