TWO cheeky Harare criminals who posed as police officers while robbing farmers of their lorry and 31 bales of tobacco on Monday were yesterday arraigned before magistrate Tendai Mahwe for initial remand.
BY PAIDAMOYO MUZULU
Godfrey Chirimanyemba (53) and Nevson Chitongo (30) were yesterday formally charged with robbery.
According to State papers, Chirimanyemba and Chitongo were in the company of four other accomplices, Dominic Bushu and Samuel Chasiya, who are already in police custody, and Richard Mazenge and one Malgas, who are still at large.
The six were travelling in an unregistered Toyota Raum while posing as police officers.
They stopped the complainants Moses Ngadura and Onismus Nyabasa, who were travelling in a Mazda Titan carrying 31 bales of tobacco from Mhangura.
The four accused the driver of driving past a red robot and thus “arrested” him and a passenger.
The State further alleges the gang then forcibly searched the two and took away their mobile phones, a Nokia 2310, a small Nokia and a Sony Xperia V and $120 in cash before dumping them in Marimba.
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The four, the State alleges, proceeded to Waterfalls where they offloaded the tobacco bales before dumping the Mazda truck in Hatfield.
It is also the State’s case that the accused rebaled the tobacco and sold it at Chidziva Tobacco Auction Floors and shared the proceeds.
Chirimanyemba and Chitongo, according to the State, were found in possession of the complainant’s Sony Xperia V phone and there are witnesses who saw them receiving the tobacco bales.
The accused were denied bail. Magistrate Mahwe remanded the accused in custody to tomorrow and advised them to apply for bail at the High Court.
The accused do not have legal representation.
