Two police officers were on Thursday dragged to court facing criminal abuse of office charges after they reportedly disappeared with US$20 000.
The two, Prosper Chimbumu, 29, and Onasis Muzanenhamo, 34, were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Judith Taruvinga.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti alleged that on July 29, the duo connived with other police officers whose identity is still to be ascertained and are still at large joined a foreign currency WhatsApp group then went on to respond to Mutarwa Gift Chisadza who had posted looking for someone who could liquidate his US$20 000.
The duo contacted Chisadza offering him ZWL$2 000 000 for the deal.
They are alleged to have arranged to meet Chisadza in the CBD and when he arrived he was arrested for illegal dealing in foreign currency.
They handcuffed him, took possession of his money and drove his car to Harare Central Police Station where upon arrival, they went to the investigations second floor and he was made to sit at the reception.
The duo and their accomplices are said to have told Chisadza that they were collecting keys to the exhibit office and disappeared with the US$20 000.
Chisadza realised that he had been duped as no one came back and filed a police report.
In the second count, the duo and their accomplices joined a WhatsApp group and the complainant Elvis Nyanhete inquired about the rates of the day as he wanted to convert his US dollars into rands so that he could travel to Namibia where he works.
They contacted him claiming that they had the rands that he needed and organised a meeting at OK Mart Chiremba Road.
After meeting with Nyanhete, they arrested him for illegal dealing in foreign currency as he was in possession of US$2000.
The gang reportedly demanded US$250 from Nyanhete when they arrived at Harare Central Police and after arguing he gave in fearing that his ill child whom he was travelling with could be exposed to the cold and get worse and they dumped him outside the police station.
Nyanhete made a police report leading to the duo’s arrest.
