A Harare businessman, who was arrested last month for allegedly leaving his firearm unsecured in his bag at a food outlet in Bulawayo, yesterday claimed the police fabricated the case to “fix” him.
Takesure Mbano (41), who is the proprietor of Mbano Investments and resides at Faraway Farm in Ruwa, pleaded not guilty to failing to secure a firearm when he appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Tancy Dube. During continuation of trial, Mbano insisted the firearm was placed in his bag by a police officer who wanted to “fix” him.
Mbano was arrested last month after the police, who wanted him in connection with a fraud case he allegedly committed in Harare, received a tip-off that he was in possession of a gun.
The businessman, who is out of custody, was remanded to July 17.
In denying the charges, Mbano said police arrested him while in possession of the firearm at court and later took him to a food outlet where he had left his bag for safekeeping and placed the gun inside the bag before they charged him with failure to secure the firearm.
However, his evidence differed with a witness, Nelly Chitenderu, in whose custody he left his bag, who said the detectives came back with him to the food outlet and asked for the bag.
She said she handed over the bag to the detectives and on opening it, they found the firearm.
Meanwhile, on the fraud case, Mbano who is jointly charged with a Bulawayo man, Tinashe Chikara, pleaded not guilty before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mark Dzira when their trial commenced on June 25.
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They were remanded to July 30 for continuation of trial.
