TWO men have been brought to court for allegedly masquerading as police officers and robbing unsuspecting people on five occasions.
Nelson Madhevere (23) of Chibara Farm and Edwin Muchagwa (42) of Glendale appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Barbra Mateko charged with armed robbery.
The State led by Ms Belinda Chimuka alleges that on June 20 this year at around 5.30pm Madhevere and Muchagwa teamed up with Tinashe Paul and Sean Tondo, who are still at large, knocked at a house and when the householder seeing the uniforms let them in, Muchagwa allegedly showed him Madhevere who was handcuffed and told the householder that Madhevere had stolen from his house and wanted him to make some indications.
But once the two fake cops were in the yard they brought out knives and threatened to kill him. Muchagwa and the now-uncuffed Madhevere manhandled the householder and marched him into the house where they tied his hands and legs using shoelaces.
They then allegedly ransacked the house and stole US$20, two cellphones, two laptops and demanded keys to a Mercedes Benz C180 (AFO0990), loaded the rest of the loot into the car and drove away.
On September 7 this year at around 7am Muchagwa allegedly teamed up with his gang and armed themselves with a pistol and approached the second householder at his gate.
They allegedly pointed a gun at him and forced him into the house where they robbed him of a Toyota Allion (ADP 8582) and other valuables.
On September 17 at around 9am Muchagwa and his gang allegedly approached a third man pretending to be police officers on a follow up of a vehicle involved in a hit and run accident.
They suddenly pulled a gun and threatened to kill him before they robbed him of property worth US$13 091.
On September 8, Muchagwa teamed up with Witness Nyarupa, Checksmore Godza and Ronald Munyaradzi Nyangaire, who are already in custody, and Shaun Pupurai Kondo and went to a house in Kuwadzana Extension, Harare.
They allegedly grabbed the householder, who was walking in the passage by the neck, and threatened to shoot her. They then handcuffed her and stole US$3 000 and other valuables worth US$16 500.
On November 29, Muchagwa and his gang went to the fifth house in Harare allegedly pretending to be detectives from CID Vehicle Theft Squad and gained entry into the house. They then allegedly robbed the householder of US$360 and a Nissan Sylphy (ADB 5312) which they later dumped.
On December 1, Godza was arrested in connection with another robbery and led detectives to recovery of a Huawei cellphone, which was still loaded with the legal owner’s pictures.
He then implicated Sean Kondo and Clemence Tafireyi Shongera.
Muchagwa was then arrested on December 24 and he then led to the recovery of a firearm from Norest Kufa alias Munjaranja which was used in the robberies.