Zimbabwe Police Officers Extort Money From Diamond Buyers

9/7/2010 3:14:48 AM  Simona Kogan

An ex-beauty queen, a CIO operative and several police officers were caught after being involved in attempts to extort diamond buyers in Zimbabwe. 

Former Miss Mutare Derleen Soma, CIO operative Walter Mupira and 6 Zimbabwe Republic police offers came together to rob and extort, mostly taking on foreign diamond buyers as their victims in their own city.

The police officers who were already arrested are Munyaradzi Muza, Ernest Kariwo, Gift Msipa and Tichawona Joseph.

A known diamond dealer, Trymore Gata led the extortion and robbing spree along with his  friends Booker Chinamasa, Trevor Magirazi, Simo Korera and Blessing Tauro.

Gata and his accomplices reportedly have robbed or extorted money from 16 different people.

At times, the police officers used their authority to get what they want, even going to a foreign buyer's house pretending they were selling diamonds and threatening the buyer with arrest for dealing in them if they didn't bribe the officers with money.

This happened one time Gata and police officers approached a buyer with diamonds and when he refused to take them they took out pistols and handcuffed the buyer.  Then they took away $3000 from him and shared it amongst themselves.

Police are still looking for 3 other police officers on the run. They  are Mike Masenda, Terrence Mashaire and Dumisani Ndlovu.



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