3 remanded in custody over kidnapping police offic...

3 remanded in custody over kidnapping police officers

Michael Mashiri

Zim Now Correspondent

Three men who allegedly kidnapped police officers have been remanded in custody.

Tinotenda Muronzi, 24, of Marlborough, Lionel Rupiya, 34, of Marlborough, and Jonathan Chishiri, 30, appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts charged with kidnapping and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

They were remanded in custody.

The State alleges that on May 29, the accused were driving a Ford Ranger while the complainants - who are police detectives - parked their car, a Toyota Vigo on the roadside before going to make inquiries few metres away.

When they returned, the accused started complaining that the complainant’s vehicle had blocked their way for too long.

The complainant introduced themselves as policemen before they started driving away. It is alleged that the accused then followed the complainants and blocked their way.

The accused then came out of the car and opened the door of the complainants’ car.

They allegedly dragged the complainants from their car and pulling the driver from the driver’s seat.

Accused persons saw that the driver was armed and during tussle, Rupiya tried to disarm the complainant of his CZ pistol and in the process the firearm discharged and shot the complainant on the knee cap.

Muronzi allegedly took the firearm and they immediately dragged the other complainant from the back seat and he fell down, hitting the ground with his head and sustaining a cut on the back of his head.

His 9mm CZ service pistol loaded with a magazine of two live rounds fell on the tarmac and Chishiri allegedly took it.

A female police officer, who was in the company of the complainants, managed to escape from the scene.

It is alleged that the accused threw the complainants into their gateway Ford Ranger and drove towards ZRP Glen Norah.

Along the way, Muronzi indiscriminately fired 5 shots using the complainants’ firearm.

On arrival at ZRP Glen Norah camp, the accused immediately made a U-turn, threatening that they wanted to take the complainants to a certain place where they wanted to assault them.

The complainants shouted to the police officer manning the gate that they had been kidnapped and he responded by closing the boom gate cocking his guard duty FN rifle.

That is when the accused were arrested and the firearms and spent cartridges were recovered from them.