Bogus cops 'arrest' council executive, demand $10 000

Two daring men allegedly masqueraded as police officers and "arrested" the chief executive of Chikomba Rural District Council for alleged criminal abuse of office and demanded $10 000 for his release.

Moses Nyavanhu (39) and Cosmas Vheremu (49) fabricated police identity cards which they showed Lackson Mutara when they approached him at his residence in Chikomba.

They forced him into their getaway car and drove to Harare on the pretext that they were taking him to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters.

They then demanded $10 000 along the way for his freedom saying their "boss" at CID HQ was the one who had proposed the said figure.

Nyavanhu and Vheremu yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Jessie Kufa for trial.

They are denying the charges.

The prosecutor, Miss Audrey Chogumaira called witness Mutara who narrated to the court how the duo kidnapped him.

"When I told them that I only had $2 000 in my bank account, they said that I should take the balance from the council's account. They then forced me to call my subordinates so that they would transfer money from the council's account into my account," he said.

"I told them that it was impossible for one signatory to withdraw money, but they insisted that as the chief executive, I had the powers to authorise the transaction and I disputed that. They said their boss in Harare wanted $10 000."

Mutara told the court that the duo promised to negotiate with their boss so that he would reduce the money to $6 000.

Nyavanhu and Vheremu denied the allegations arguing that it was a matter of a deal which had gone sour between them and Mutara.

They claimed that they had bribed Mutara to facilitate stands which he failed to do, an allegation which Mutara strongly dismissed.

It is alleged that on March 14, at around 6am, the pair approached Mutara at his house and identified themselves as police detectives from CID headquarters.

Vheremu produced an identification card bearing the name of Detective Sergeant Zaranyika K.

They told him that they were carrying out investigations of criminal abuse of office involving misuse of council vehicles and illegal allocation of stands.

The duo, it is alleged, forced him into their vehicle and drove to Harare and along the way they demanded $10 000 so that they would stop "investigations" and to avoid the matter being published in the press.

According to the State, Mutara out of fear agreed to give them the money and informed them that it was in his CBZ bank account.

The State further alleged that Nyavanhu and Vheremu took Mutara to CBZ bank, Southerton branch and ordered him to withdraw all the money in his account.

Upon arrival at the bank, they confiscated Mutara's mobile phone and remained in the vehicle while he went into the banking hall.

Mutara then went to the manager's office and narrated his ordeal. The manager then informed the police.

Upon noticing that Mutara was taking too long to come out of the bank, Nyavanhu and Vheremu became suspicious and drove off from the scene resulting in a high speed chase with the police.

They were arrested along Simon Mazorodze Road.