A Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) employee was allegedly extorted of a substantial amount of money by a police officer and an accomplice who pounced on him while he was parked outside his house and allegedly demanded a bribe threatening to impound his car for illegal parking.
The court heard the two men followed Wisdom Ndinge to his home in Bulawayo’s Matsheumhlophe suburb where they confronted him and accused him of parking at their Central Intelligence Officer’s boss’ spot in the city centre.
Advance Mutsikwa (38), appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Franklin Mkhwananzi facing an extortion charge.
Mutsikwa pleaded not guilty and was remanded out of custody to March 12 for trial.
The court heard Mutsikwa’s accomplice, who was wearing a police uniform at the time the offence was committed, is still at large.
Prosecuting, Nkathazo Dlodlo told the court that the two introduced themselves as police officers and demanded a bribe of $700RTGS.
“On January 27 at 2245hrs Ndige was diving to his home from town. He picked a woman along 13th Ave who asked for a lift and dropped her further up at 13th and Robert Mugabe. As he proceeded to his home, he spotted a blue Mercedes Benz ABA 2500 trailing him,” said Dlodlo.
“The car parked behind him at his gate. Mutsikwa and his accomplice who was in police uniform disembarked and introduced themselves as police officers on duty. They advised him he was under arrest for parking at the CIO boss’ place in the city centre. The pair demanded an amount of $700RTGS from the complainant so as not to arrest him and impound his vehicle. They took $421RTGS and USD$50 and drove away.”
