Two police officers have been arrested for allegedly committing a series of armed robbery cases in Bulawayo.
The officers were apprehended at Makhado, Beitbridge while attempting to flee the country.
Bongani Mpofu (33) of Cowdray Park and Dalubuhle Ndlovu (37) of Mpopoma Suburb appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Marygold Ndlovu facing a count of armed robbery.
Mpofu has two other counts of armed robbery which he committed independently of Ndlovu.
The duo is represented by Dumisani Dube of Mathonsi Ncube Law Chambers.
State representative Nelson Chivayo narrated to the court that 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,” said Chivayo.
“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.”
Chivayo said 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,” said Chivayo.
He said 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,” he said.
“They then robbed Hove and Octavia of US$700, HP laptop,iPhone cellphone, Samsung A2 core cellphone, Samsung Tablet and some whisky.”
Chivayo said 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,” he said.
“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.”
