BANKET — Officers at Banket Police Station nearly paid dearly for lacking vigilance after a fertiliser distribution company manager and his accomplice, who had surrendered a cash box supposedly containing over $4 000 cash, returned it stuffed with a brick alleging the money had been stolen at the police station, a magistrate has heard.
James Muonwa
The suspects, Fungai Mushaninga (29), a general hand, and Gift Chinembiri (45), a Wiruma Distribution Company manager, appeared before magistrate Ngoni Nduna facing theft charges and were remanded in custody to March 4.
The complainant in the case is the Zimbabwe Fertilizer Company (ZFC) represented by its Southern Region sales manager Edward Lovemore Hakunavanhu.
The State, led by Hazel Kondo, averred that Mushaninga was not formally employed, but would from time to time be engaged by Chinembiri as a general hand at Wiruma Distribution Company, Banket.
The court heard that sometime in November 2013, there was an increase in robbery cases and as a result, an arrangement to lodge unbanked money for safekeeping with the officer-in-charge Banket was made.
On January 25 this year, Chinembiri received $4 300 from a sales clerk, Tarumbidzwa Kajeke, being the day’s cash takings from stock sales.
On the same day, the accused persons together with Kajeke, proceeded to Banket Police Station presumably with the unbanked cash locked in a cash box and surrendered it to ZRP Banket.
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The cash box was handed over to a named officer manning the enquiries desk without checking the contents.
During the period extending January 25 and 27, the cash box was subjected to hand-over-take-over by several police officers on duty, the State alleged.
On January 27, Chinembiri ordered Mushaninga to collect the locked cash box from the police station and he signed for it as proof of receipt.
The pair then allegedly met at a secluded spot where Chinembiri unlocked the cash box before taking the money which they converted to their own use.
On the same day at around 9am, the pair returned the cash box to ZRP Banket stuffed it with a brick alleging the cash was missing.
Investigation led to the pair’s arrest and nothing was recovered.
