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Elizabeth Tsuro, Midlands Reporter
A TOUT allegedly impersonated a police officer, arrested two other touts and extorted $4 from them.

Tinashe Chimhangwa, 22, of Ascot Suburb in Gweru, appeared before Gweru Magistrate Musaiona Shotgame facing two counts of impersonating a police officer.

He pleaded not guilty and Shotgame remanded him out of custody to today.

In his defence, Chimhangwa said the two touts made a false report against him because one of them owes him money.

“The two connived to make a false report to fix me because the other one owes me $10 since last year,” he said.

Bernard Nyoni, for the State, said on February 12 at around 4PM at TM rank, Chimhangwa was holding a ZRP Outpost Magazine.

He allegedly approached Bernard Mutambara who was seated on the driver’s seat in a parked commuter omnibus.

“He asked Mutambara to produce his driver’s licence. He told him he was under arrest after he failed to produce the licence,” said Nyoni.

“Chimhangwa again approached Collen Mhlanga who was in a parked commuter omnibus and introduced himself as a police officer.”

The prosecutor said he asked Mhlanga to produce a driver’s license and “arrested him” when he said he did not have one.

The court heard that Mhlanga tried to explain to Chimhangwa that he was only a tout who was resting in the driver’s seat with no intention to drive.

“Chimhangwa went on and demanded $5 from Mhlanga and he put his right hand into Mhlanga’s pockets and took four $1 notes.”

Nyoni said Mutambara and Mhlanga then insisted on seeing Chimhangwa’s police identity card.

He said they dragged him to Gweru Central Police Station when he failed to produce it.