Two presidential guards and a Central Intelligence Officer (CIO), Monday appeared in court on allegations of extorting a Chinese miner US$2,000.
The three are Chamunorwa Victor Chinorwiwa (32), Hilary Maravanyika (28) and Tawanda Ngoshi (39).
The trio appeared before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa who remanded them in custody to this Tuesday.
They will be appearing together with their accomplices Samuel Zvishamiso Simbabure and Respect Zuva who were arrested last week for bail application.
The complainant is Enjie Zhang, a Chinese national aged 49 from Mandara, Harare.
According to the State, on 19 October 2024, the group connived to extort money from the complainant at Murodzi Mining Site, Concession.
On the same date, the gang and another suspect still at large proceeded to Murodzi Mining Claim, Concession, Mazowe District in a dark blue Toyota Hilux double cab without registration plates.
"Upon arrival at the mining claim, the accused persons identified themselves as members of the Criminal Investigation Department [CID] who were on duty and they ordered the complainant who was in the company of 25 mine workers, to gather them at one place and ordered them to sit down," the court heard.
Chinorwiwa and Maravanyika together with their accomplices ordered the complainant to remain still while Simbabure threatened to shoot them if they attempted to flee whilst showing them a pistol which was placed on his waist.
"The accused ordered the complainant and his fellow Chinese nationals who were present namely; Jinliang Xue, Hang Hainglin and Shan Dong Zhou to produce their identity documents, mining certificates and work permits.
"Complainant and his Chinese counterparts produced their identity documents but failed to produce the mining certificates and work permits which they stated were in the custody of the company General Manager, Ms Hu, who was in Harare."
It is alleged that the gang told the complainant and his fellow workers that they were conducting illegal mining operations in the area and demanded US$2,000 cash from the Chinese nationals so that they could release them.
They ordered the complainant to contact Ms Hu so that she could bring the needed bribe money and the complainant complied.
One of their accomplices who is already on remand personally spoke to Ms Hu over the complainant's phone to deliver the bribe money to Ngoshi who was in Harare.
Ms Hu then in turn contacted the informant Godfrey Zambuko employed by Holden Field Investments who was in Harare and directed him to proceed to Zimbabwe House and surrender the US$2,000 cash bribe money to Ngoshi.
Zambuko proceeded to Zimbabwe House where he gave the US$2,000 to Ngoshi.
Meanwhile, another Chinese national Hang Hainglin who had managed to escape from the scene [Murodzi Mining Site] proceeded to a nearby mining site also owned by Holden Fields Investments where he was given US$1,000 by another Chinese National so that he could go and give it to the accused persons in exchange of their freedom.
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Kelvinator Don Paricha, employed as a Chinese company interpreter went to the accused persons and gave them US$800 which resulted in the release of the complainant and the other mine workers.
The accused persons then drove off in their getaway motor vehicle.
On 21 October 2024, the three accused persons acting in connivance with accused Samuel Simbabure who has already been arrested orchestrated to contact Zambuko inviting him to come to Zimbabwe House where he sought to discuss with him the need for payment of an undisclosed additional amount of bribe money.
"On 25 October 2024, Chinorwiwa and Maravanyika were taken to CID Law and Order Harare by the Zimbabwe National Army Military Police while Ngoshi handed himself to the police in the company of his legal representative.
