Two members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) who were arrested for allegedly committing a series of armed robbery cases in Bulawayo have been granted bail.
Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice Evangilista Kabasa released the cops on ZWL$20 000 each.
As part of the bail conditions, Justice Kabasa ordered that the duo report twice every week on Mondays and Fridays at their respective police stations until the finalisation of the case.
Bongani Mpofu (33) of Cowdray Park and Dalubuhle Ndlovu (37) of Mpopoma Suburb were apprehended in Beitbridge while attempting to flee the country.
They are being represented by Dumisani Dube of Mathonsi Ncube Law Chambers.
They are jointly facing a charge of armed robbery while Mpofu has two other counts of armed robbery which he committed independently of Ndlovu.
According to the State papers, on December 23 last year, Mpofu and Ndlovu in the company of five others who are still at large armed with a pistol went to some business premises in Northend Suburb.
“They pointed their pistol through the window into a room where the security resides and handcuffed his right hand through the window and tied it on the burglar bar. They ordered the security guard’s wife to open the door for them and took away tablet cellphones and laptops,” the papers read.
“The accused persons force-marched the security guard and his wife to the gate where they forced him to open the gate. The other two accused persons emerged and joined their accomplices who then force marched the security guard and his wife to the main offices and took away cash boxes containing cash,36 tablet cellphones and went away.”
The papers read that in another case, Mpofu with his other accomplices pounced on a house in Malindela suburb in search of gold and money.
“On 15 March this year at around 3 pm, Mpofu in the company of his accomplices who are on remand at Masvingo and Zvishavane prisons, went to Malindela Suburb in Bulawayo armed with a firearm, handcuffs and a knife,” the court heard.
The State alleged that upon arrival they kidnapped two children who were playing outside the yard and dumped them at Ascot shopping centre.
“The accused persons returned to the house where they threatened the two complaints Betty Hove (55) and her daughter in law Kipaletswi Octivla (22) with a firearm and a knife demanding cash and gold,” the paper read.
“They then robbed Hove and Octavia of US$700, HP laptop,iPhone cellphone, Samsung A2 core cellphone, Samsung Tablet and some whisky.”
The State further stated that on the second count, Mpofu in the company of his accomplices who are still at large and another one who is on remand at Masvingo prison went to Fools Mine in Hope fountain, Bulawayo armed with a gun.
“Upon arrival, they threatened Mr Boora Nyanyi a security guard who was on duty and disarmed him of his service pistol which had no ammunition. They searched him and stole his cellphone,” the court heard.
“The accused persons force-marched Mr Nyanyi to the room where Ma Yanlong was sleeping, they threatened Ma Yanlong with a firearm and robbed him of Huawei cellphone, Lenovo laptop, two pairs of formal shoes, formal trousers and ZWL1 000. The stolen firearm was recovered.”
