SOME members of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Beitbridge allegedly stole a document linking their workmates to car smuggling.
The stolen document is a fraudulent vehicle clearance certificate allegedly issued by detectives Tererayi Silindeni and Munyaradzi Moyo on December 22 last year to facilitate the smuggling of a Toyota Wish car bought in neighbouring South Africa.
It is reported that Silindeni and Moyo later allegedly teamed up with a detective Joseph Mosi to facilitate clearance of the vehicle into the country.
National police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the development saying police are investigating the case, further noting that more arrests were possible.
“We are investigating that case which may have occurred at Beitbridge. Criminal and disciplinary charges have been made to those three. We want to state there is no room for criminality in the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). All the facts in your media inquiry are correct and more arrests are possible,” said Nyathi.
Silindeni, a Gwanda police detective whose presence in Beitbridge was unsanctioned, together with Moyo allegedly issued a fraudulent clearance certificate to one Julian Morris Ndou who is still at large.
According to court papers, the certificate purporting that Ndou drove a Toyota Hiace car to South Africa was issued at the border without required physical examination of the car.
Armed with the fraudulent documents Ndou bought a Toyota Wish vehicle in SA and affixed the Toyota Hiace number plates AFX 5399.
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He gave the car to Rodywin Gweshero and Tirawe Chiwara who drove it to Zimbabwe as if it had earlier been driven out of the country to avoid paying duty.
Gweshero, a security guard hired by the Department of Customs and Excise to guard against smuggling, was given the nod to leave the border by Silindeni and Moyo.
They used a border device earlier on used by Mosi who had not logged out, resulting in his password being used.
As Gweshero and Chiwara approached the last checkpoint, a policeman on duty became suspicious after he saw the self-adhesive third number plate being held by a tape.
The police officer then arrested the duo after discovering that the vehicle had been smuggled.
Gweshero and Chiwara then implicated the detectives leading to their arrest.
When Silindeni, Moyo and Mosi were taken to court, the vehicle clearance document linking the first two went missing.
Beitbridge magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba granted the three detectives ZWL200 000 bail each while Gweshero and Chiwara paid ZWL400 000 each.
Olivia Chamutiya prosecuted.
