POLICE in Zimbabwe are seeking the incarceration of a woman accused of facilitating the release of armed robbers from prison and harbouring them at her house.
Theresa Chenjerai (49) was arrested on Thursday on bribery charges after she allegedly connived with another robbery suspect, Munyaradzi Zakkaria and offered US$150 to a detective to testify in favour of their colleague, who is facing 15 counts of robbery at Norton Magistrates Court.
Chenjerai and Zakkaria were not asked to plead to the charges when they appeared before a Norton magistrate on Saturday.
They were remanded in custody to Monday, March 3 for bail application.
According to the police, Theresa Chenjerai is wife to suspected armed robber Andrew Chenjerai, who is currently out on bail, facing two counts of the violent crime and is the one who masterminded her husband's release from prison.
Andrew will be appearing before a Harare magistrate on March 11 for an armed robbery trial.
The police also allege that Theresa facilitated the release of Zakkaria from prison on two counts of armed robbery and has been harbouring him at her house hence pushing for their further detention pending trial.
It is their belief Chenjerai is gathering a criminal gang of armed robbers with potential to destabilise the city through organised crime hence they should be locked up.
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The police further say the two have capacity to interfere with investigations and obstructing the course of justice as demonstrated in the US$150 offer to a detective to derail cases of robbery in court.
Circumstances are that on February 27 the two connived and offered US$150 to detective sergeant Kwashira for him to testify in favour of their friend one Nickson Tapuwa Mazaranye so that he would be acquitted on 15 counts of robbery he is facing at Norton Magistrates Court.
Reports are that the detective went and advised his Officer-ln-Charge Detective Inspector Ndofirepi, who then set a trap, putting a team on surveillance, monitoring the suspects' meeting with the detective.
Zakkaria was then arrested at Norton Police Station when he allegedly gave the detective the US$150 and upon interview, he then confessed that Theresa Chenjerai was the one who had sent him with the money to facilitate the release of Mazaranye.
According to the State, further investigations showed the two were working together after their call history was checked.
