Belvedere heist continues to haunt rogue cops

Belvedere heist continues to haunt rogue cops

Tateguru Writer

Zimbabwe Republic Police has arrested two more police officers for their alleged involvement in the theft of a safe with cash and jewellery worth US$80 000 in Belvedere, Harare early this month.
It is alleged that the police officers, now understood to have been six, stole the safe from a suspect, before they released him.
The suspects, Maxwell Chidyamudungwe and Tyirai Muzarabani, will join four other officers, Edward Mateta, 49, Tinashe Matongo, 32, Princess Mavis Matikiti, 35, and Costa Davison 32 who are in custody facing theft and abuse of office.
The State alleges that on the day in question, the police received information from an informant that the accused persons were in possession of a stolen safe containing cash and jewellery which they had taken from a suspect who had stolen the safe in Belvedere.
Further allegations are that the four connived to steal the contents of the safe before they released the suspect in the theft case.
Reports suggest that during the investigations the duo interviewed other four police officers, who are already in custody, and were told the whereabouts of the cash where the idea of stealing of from the safe cane from.
It is alleged that the accused persons proceeded to the house of the chief suspect identified as Chriswell Fainoza where they recovered cash amounting to US$14 000.
Instead of booking the whole amount in police records as exhibit, the duo reportedly took US$8 000, gave Fainoza US$2 000 and surrendered US$4 000.
This was after first four police officers to investigate the case had already taken their share of the loot and left Fainoza with the US$14 000.
The matter came to light on July 12 following investigations by detectives from the CID Homicide, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Nothing has been recovered as yet.