Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) CID detectives 'murdered suspect'

CID detectives 'murdered suspect'
by Lindie Whiz
21/04/2010 00:00:00

AT LEAST four CID detectives in Bulawayo face a police enquiry after an armed robbery suspect died following a brutal assault on March 25. Artwell Ndlovu was arrested in Esigodini on March 21 and driven to Bulawayo.

After his lawyer was initially refused permission to see him, Ndlovu was finally found unconscious in his cell on March 22.

In a letter addressed to the Officer in Charge Homicide, copied to the Officer Commanding Police in Bulawayo Province Snr Asst Comm Stephen Mutamba and Regional magistrate John Masimba, lawyers for Ndlovu’s family said: “We demand ... that a case of murder be investigated and for transparency reasons, we request that you refer the matter to another police station for investigations.”

Lawyer Robert Ndlovu of law firm R. Ndlovu and Company states in the letter that the suspect was arrested in front of his family, including a paternal uncle, by CID detectives named only as Chifamba, Spinyu, Sotsha and Matsika.

Artwell Ndlovu’s family followed him to the Bulawayo Central Police Station on the morning of March 22 and found him in a coma, the lawyer said.

“We are further advised that they (suspect’s family) saw other people who were detained with him including Never Mahara who had been arrested on related allegations, who advised them that the late had been severely assaulted by the police and he had been brought in the cells at night in a sorry state.

“Before getting unconscious, the late Ndlovu did declare to his cellmates the names of the people who had assaulted him. In spite of the late Ndlovu’s condition, your section never found it necessary to organise medical attention for him. It was until 2PM that the relatives had to seek our services in order to enforce the late Ndlovu’s rights to medication.”

The lawyer said Mahara was nursing gunshot wounds after CID detectives shot and injured him during his arrest.

Lawyer Ndlovu said he contacted CID Homicide just after 2PM on March 22 and spoke to Superintendent Majuta to relay the information passed by the suspect’s relatives. He proceeded to the CID HQ at CABS Building in Bulawayo where a Detective Assistant Inspector Kutadza confirmed the suspect was “not well”, but refused the lawyer access.

“It dawned to me that the refusal was meant to hide what had been done to the deceased,” the lawyer said in the letter.

He states that the suspect was not released for hospital until 6PM when he was rushed to the United Bulawayo Hospitals. His condition did not improve, and he died on March 25.

Labels: POLICE BRUTALITY

posted by MrK @ 3:23 AM