A KAROI man, Caleb Chinodakufa (33), was recently left nursing wounds after members of the the police set dogs on him before he was denied medical attention.
Chinodakufa is epileptic and suffers regular seizures.
His mother Muchaneta Kofi told NewsDay that Chinodakufa was on his way from Chikangwe high-density suburb where he gets his dinner since he is looking after the family house in Claudia.
“It was around 7 in the evening when the police, who were hiding in the bushes called him to stop. The place is well known for night raids by thieves and Caleb tried to run away before dogs were set on him. They arrested him and detained him for nearly four hours after dogs had bitten him,” she narrated the ordeal during a telephone interview from Chinhoyi where the victim is currently receiving medical attention.
She said the police later accompanied him to his aunt’s house in Chikangwe where they demanded cash for his “offence”.
Kofi said Chinodakufa was not allowed to seek medical attention until the following morning.
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“He was not taken care of during the night although he was bleeding from the dog bites. The police officers on duty did not allow him to seek medical attention.
“He slept at the charge office and the receipt was only availed the following morning after a relative who is a senior officer passed through the charge office and spoke to the officer-in-charge. That's when they reacted to have him taken to hospital which is a few metres away from the police camp,” she said.
Chinodakufa was reportedly dumped at the Karoi District Hospital after spending nearly 14 hours bleeding from the dog wounds.
“Caleb was their patient and as uniformed forces they should have assisted him to get medication on time. He endured several hours at the hospital with my young sister who takes care of him in Karoi. He joined the queue like anyone else besides bleeding from the dog wounds,” Kofi said.
According to police documents gleaned by NewsDay, he was fined US$15 for violating the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act c/s 41 also known as disorderly conduct.
Hospital documents also indicated that he had suffered dog bite wounds and that he was bleeding on the left leg.
He was ordered to buy an anti-rabies vaccine and Cloxacillin that is used primarily for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections, among other medication.
Mashonaland West deputy provincial spokesperson Assistant Inspector Effort Chapoto confirmed the incident.
“I can confirm that a Karoi man was mauled by a police dog. The police were on night patrol in the area where robberies are now common. He was stopped but instead of complying with police orders he ran away. He was fined for disorderly conduct,” he said.