By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
A former police officer and private investigator, Tafadzwa Chidawa, has been arrested and remanded in custody for allegedly staging a US$20,000 theft at Blue Ridge Lodge in 2020.
According to reports, Chidawa and his alleged accomplices, including former police officers, posed as police officers to deceive the complainant, Melody Matanhire, into handing over the cash.
Matanhire had been persuaded by her then-boyfriend, Malvern Mutanda, to provide US$20,000 to “clean” soiled money, which turned out to be a scam.
Chidawa and his accomplices, including Paradza Passmore Matubu, Perseverance Chisango, and Francis Takura, allegedly stormed into the lodge, pretended to make an arrest, and seized the cooler box containing the cash.
The group later divided the stolen funds among themselves, believing they had succeeded in pulling off the heist without raising suspicion.
However, detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Homicide Division quickly uncovered the truth when Matanhire staged a fake robbery at her home to conceal her financial loss from her husband.
The investigation led to the arrest of Mutanda, resulting in the recovery of part of the stolen money.
The police later discovered an identification card belonging to Chidawa inside Takura’s vehicle, implicating Chidawa in the robbery.
Chidawa, who had defaulted on court proceedings in January 2023 alongside Matubu and Chisango, has been remanded in custody. He is scheduled to appear in court today as his trial continues.