AT LEAST ten Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives based in Gokwe are under investigation after going on an extortion spree in which they netted US$2,030 from small businesses.
The case, filed with ZRP Gokwe last week, is being investigated under RRB numbers 6248660-63. No arrests have been made yet.
According to a police memo sent to the Officer Commanding Gokwe District by the Officer in Charge Gokwe and gleaned by NewZimbabwe.com, the ten are being charged with Criminal Abuse of Duty as Public Officials as defined in Section 174 of the Criminal law [Codification and Reform] Act.
According to the memo detective constables Tafadzwa Siwela, Daniel Chishapira and Batsirayi Madhongo, detective sergeant Takunda Vhezha, assistant inspector Chinyani John, police intelligence officer Edias Mugabe, CIO operatives Hungwe and Chatikobo, and two others are being investigated.
The crew was made up of security details who claimed to their victims that they were part of the CIO's crack Ferret Force sent to rural Gokwe to investigate abuses of the Exchange Rate Act and the smuggling of goods.
Hungwe and Chatikobo stand accused of collecting US$760 between October last year and January 4, 2025, from Wonderson Tamande whom they accused of not having enough papers to stay in Zimbabwe. Tamande is an Ethiopian national.
They also accused him of having smuggled goods in his possession.
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Chatikobo was to follow this up with another US$200 in connivance with Chishapira and Madhongo after staging the arrest of Tamande's shopkeeper. According to the memo, the shopkeeper had used an illegal exchange rate in selling bread to them.
They demanded a US$1,000 bribe before eventually settling for US$200.
The three were to demand a US$80 protection fee from Fantasy Zambuko who owns Fantasy General Dealer on January 2, 2025, after notifying him of an anti-smuggling operation they were supposed to initiate in the area.
The continued spree saw Chatikobo going on to collect US$300 from Tamande after demanding US$3,000 before he roped in Chinyani to take another US$140.
On another occasion, a team of four males and a female-identifying themselves as part of the Ferret Team approached another Gokwe businessman Tafadzwa Nyakudzambara and extorted US$300.
On January 8, 2025 Chatikobo, Chishapira, Mugabe, alongside two others identified as Mukamuri and Mushonga approached Simbarashe Ziwaya and extorted US$250.
All four victims filed complaints with the police on January 14 this year.
