TWO suspected bogus police officers appeared in court yesterday facing allegations of robbing a truck driver of 40 000 litres of petrol at gunpoint.
Donald Dube, 34, and Innocent Madziya, 38, were remanded to February 23 before they were advised to apply for bail at the High Court when they appeared before Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda.
The duo pleaded not guilty to charges of armed robbery.
The court heard that on February 2 at around 0030 hours, the accused, who were in police uniforms, hatched a plan to steal from the driver who was driving a Scania truck pulling a trailer loaded with 40 000 litres of petrol along Glennarah Road heading to Mbare in Harare.
The duo, who were driving an unregistered white Honda Fit motor vehicle, allegedly followed the complainant’s truck until he approached Joshua Nkomo Road roundabout where the suspects allegedly overtook the truck and blocked the road.
Armed with a gun, they allegedly disembarked from the motor vehicle and advanced to the driver’s door and dragged him out of the truck and told him that he was under arrest for failing to stop at the previous roadblock.
It is further alleged that Dube and Madziya manhandled the complainant and threatened to shoot him before forcing the driver into their motor vehicle.
The accused reportedly drove the complainant and dumped him at a dust road in Epworth.
The court further heard that when the complainant found his way back to the scene, he discovered that the truck was missing and he reported the matter to the police.
Police investigations led to the arrest of Munyararadzi Keagan Chimbarami after an ambush at a restaurant at Zindoga Shopping Centre in Waterfalls.
Chimbarami then implicated Dube and Madziya who led to the recovery of the stolen truck and 30 301 litres which were found at Retreat Farm in Waterfalls.
Meanwhile, in a related matter three employees of a local fuel service station allegedly stole fuel worth over US$86 000 by allegedly crediting an e-fuel card with unpaid fuel and selling it to customers while pocketing the proceeds.
Dickson Mokora, 33, and Ennety Musaitehasha, 53, appeared in court yesterday facing theft allegations and were remanded in custody while waiting to apply for bail today.
Circumstances around the case are that sometime in January last year, the accused allegedly worked as shift supervisor site managers when they devised a plan to steal from the company. They did this in concert with the then IT assistant manager, who is still at large the State alleges.
The accused allegedly used the assistant manager to create an e-fuel card registered in the company’s system which he manipulated by crediting the e-card with fuel which was not paid for.
The accused would then use the e-card to take fuel for their own use or sell it to customers at the service station and pocket the money.
The court heard the offence was uncovered during cash reconciliation.
Upon investigation, it was noticed that there was an unusual e-card transaction of 900 litres of blend fuel.
This prompted further investigations which resulted in unearthing that the accused had used the manipulated e-card to access fuel worth US$86 282 and sell it to customers while pocketing the proceeds.
The trio was reported to the police.
Lynnette Gwarisa prosecuted for the State.
Chamaine Chirimujiri and Dionne Kanyowa