TWO Beitbridge traffic police officers are on the run after tampering with records and stealing money from their employer.
According to a leaked memo, Tinashe Chatseta and Gift Marange between them stole US$345 and R3730 by tampering with figures on fines books. Of that, Chatseta helped himself with US$205 and R2830 while Marange accounted for the remainder. It is understood that their boss Clever Barikano discovered the alleged offence on February 2 this year following an audit of Z69J (police fines receipt books).
"Circumstances are that on 02 February 2024 at around 0800 hours, Inspector Clever Barikano went through books and records. He discovered twenty-three [23] cases where Tinashe Chatseta and Gift Marange wrote different figures on Z69J fast and duplicate copies as compared to the other two copies of the same serial number," read the memo.
The two on the duplicates wrote trivial offences and receipted less than the actual charge which appeared on the original issued to the offender, and pocketed the difference.
For instance, where someone paid a fine of US$30 they made out a receipt of the amount on the original copy they gave the offender but doctored the duplicates to reflect just US$5.
"In this case, they would write less amounts of a trivial offence on the fast and duplicate copies yet they would have charged the offender a serious offence with higher amount of fines. Therefore, as a result, the accused took the difference and converted the amount to his own use," read the memo which tabulated the schemes.
After discovering the offence, a report was made at ZRP Beitbridge Urban and the case filed under ZRP Beitbridge Urban CR 14/02/24 and CID BEITBRIDGE DR 13/02/24.