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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A COP stationed at Jotsholo Police Station in Lupane, Matabeleland North, has been arrested for allegedly stealing a wheelbarrow, duty roster book, stock clearance book and handcuffs from the police station.

Martin Ruzvidzo (35) of New Stands in Jotsholo also stole a pillow from a colleague he shared a room with at Jotsholo Police Camp.

He was still stationed at Sipepa Police Station in Tsholotsho when he allegedly stole a duty roster book and stock clearance book from the station.

Ruzvidzo was transferred to Jotsholo last year and went on to steal a wheelbarrow and handcuffs from the station and a pillow from his roommate, also a cop at the police camp.

Ruzvidzo allegedly kept the stolen items in a room he was secretly renting outside the police camp.

The crimes were discovered after his alert landlord tipped police that the wheelbarrow was at his house. Upon searching the room, police recovered the other items hidden in a suitcase.

The items had been reported missing.

The offences were committed between January 2020 and last month.

Ruzvidzo was not asked to plead to three counts of theft and two of unlawful borrowing when he appeared before Lupane Resident magistrate Mr Ndumo Masuku who remanded him in custody to today for bail application.

Prosecuting, Mr Clive Gumbo said Ruzvidzo concealed the stolen items despite knowing they were being looked for.

“Sometime in January 2020 at Sipepa Police Station the accused who was still stationed there used unknown means and stole a duty roster book which the station started using in 2019. He was transferred to Jotsholo and went with the book.

“On 26 February 2022 his landlord in Jotsholo reported to police that a wheelbarrow that was missing was at his house. Police found that the wheelbarrow was the same that was stolen in August last year,” said the prosecutor.

Police recovered the wheelbarrow and requested to search the room, but Ruzvidzo claimed that he had left the keys in Kwekwe.

The court heard that police broke the door and when they conducted a search, they recovered the duty roster book, stock clearance book, three pairs of handcuffs and a pillow.

Ruzvidzo was allegedly using the stock clearance book and had made 41 transactions using it.

He was arrested and the items taken by police as exhibits.

Ruzvidzo is being represented by Mr Tawanda Mabika of Mugiya and Mavhami Law Chambers. – @ncubeleon