Four police detectives attached to the anti-corruption section at Beitbridge Border Post and were instrumental in the arrest of two immigration officers caught on camera last week taking bribes, were on Wednesday arrested after taking a bribe of R1 500 from a bus crew they had intercepted smuggling cooking oil and blankets.
Sergeants Sibusisiwe Chiverengo and Lawrence Munyika along with Constables Hillary Tetete and Raymond Tapiwa Jeche were picked up by detectives from the border control unit soon after collecting their ‘pickings’.
Border authorities said the four were arrested at around 6 am and had been charged with criminal abuse of office.
They said the four were part of a reaction and surveillance team which acts on information provided by other officers in the Close Circuit Televisions Control Room within the border.
The accused persons were on duty and were monitoring customs officials from the enforcement and compliance searching luggage in buses.
“After the bus had been searched they saw some travellers taking back into the bus some products which are restricted under Statutory Instrument Number 64.
They then called the customs officials to conduct a re-search,” said the official. The source added that 14 blankets and several boxes of cooking oil were then seized by Zimra officials.
After that Tetete approached the bus driver, Maxwell Mabonga, and demanded R500, threatening to initiate another search of the bus.
He was given the money and went away. Mabonga then drove the bus to an immigration check point where he was followed by Munyika and Jeche who demanded a further R2000, threating him with yet another search