6 January 2009
Maputo — The Mozambican authorities have detained two men pretending to be police officers in the southern province of Inhambane, according to Pedro Cossa, the spokesperson for the National Police Command, speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
This brings to three the number of phoney policemen arrested in the space of a week. The third, a man named Alfredo Mabui, was detained in the outlying Maputo suburb of Mahotas.
According to Cossa, all three had disguised themselves as policemen in order to commit crimes, particularly extortion. The two in Inhambane had negotiated a contract to "protect" a tourist resort on New Year's Eve, in exchange for payment of 4,000 meticais (about 160 US dollars).
Cossa said investiagtauions are now under way into how the three men had acquired the paramilitary clothing and equipment that had made it possible for them to pass themselves off as members of the police.
Cossa also said that two policemen were injured in a shootout with criminals in Maputo on Monday night, when gunmen opened fire on their patrol car. This seems to be the same as the incident reported in Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias". "Noticias", however, put the number of wounded policemen at three, and said that police went after the criminals when they received reports that they were ambushing citizens in the inner city neighbourhood of Coop and stealing their cell phones and other possessions at gunpoint.
Cossa said that one of the injured policemen took a bullet in his right leg, and the second in his left leg. Both are being treated in Maputo Central hospital.
He added that the police pursued the gang across Maputo into the neighbouring city of Matola, where they abandoned their car and made their getaway on foot.
Cossa said that, in the period from 27 December to 2 January, 227 crimes were reported across the country. Eight of these involved the use of firearms - six in Maputo and two in Matola. Over the period the police recovered two stolen vehicles in Maputo, and apprehended 66 others for assorted irregularities.
Cossa also reported that between 25 and 28 December five people, aged between nine and 20, were devoured by crocodiles in Morrumbala district, in the central province of Zambezia. Some were seized by the reptiles as they were fishing on the banks of the Shire river, and others while they were taking water from the river.
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