HARARE – A former police officer arrested over a gun raid at the home of a retired detective was charged with 12 unrelated cases of armed robbery on Thursday.

Francis Takura, 33, was dishonourably discharged from the force in 2018.

Takura was allegedly part of a gang of at least five men that raided the Chadcombe home of retired detective inspector Joseph Nemaisa in Harare on Monday night. Nemaisa, who was not home, arrived within minutes and took on the balaclava-wearing gang, shooting three dead, including two soldiers.

Prosecutors say Takura and another soldier Virimai Nyandoro, 37, escaped the shooting before they were later arrested.

Takura was the first to be charged, but prosecutors introduced historic cases after indicating that investigations were still in progress in the Nemaisa robbery in which over US$800, a laptop and shot gun were stolen.

Takura was remanded in custody to December 28.

In the first three of the 13 counts, prosecutors name the complainants as James Rikonda, Learnmore Ushe and Tichaona Maworere of Hatfield.

Rikonda was sleeping at home at around 3AM on November 5 when he heard footsteps in the passage.

The National Prosecuting Authority says Takura, who was in company of four other men, and suddenly appeared at the door. One of the men was carrying an AK47 rifle, and another a pistol. They all wore balaclavas.

The court heard that the gang ordered Rikonda and his wife to lie down and remain silent at the same time demanding cash.

They ransacked the house and stole US$11,550, an iPhone 12 pro max, a pair of Timberland shoes, a baby bag, a Rolex wrist watch, and a Norinco pistol.

Takura and his gang, it is alleged, then demanded keys for Rikonda’s Toyota Hilux GD6 and force-marched him and his wife into the vehicle. He was driven to his workplace where he was ordered to open the safe which was emptied of US$10,000.

Ushe was standing outside his room when the gang returned to the Rikonda residence. He was assaulted and robbed of a laptop and a Xiaomi Note 7 mobile phone.

They also allegedly robbed Maworere of five mobile phones, six pairs of shoes, jewellery and two laptops.

Rikonda’s stolen Norinco pistol was abandoned by the robbers at Nemaisa’s house during Monday’s robbery. Maworere was also able to identify a pair of his stolen shoes that Takura was wearing when he was arrested.

On count four to nine, the complainants are Tonderai Nunurai, Edith Madanhi, Daniel Nadzo, David Chaleka, Irene Chitura and Wadzanai Munhanga.

It is alleged that December 1, at around 8PM, Madonhi, Nunurai and Nadzo left their Hatfield home and returned slightly after 9PM.

Upon their return, Nadzo was not feeling well and went to sleep in the spare bedroom while Nunurai then went into the kitchen to prepare some food for him.

While in the kitchen, Nunurai heard his dogs barking in an unusual manner. He went out to investigate but could not see anything. He enquired from Munhanga who was outside the cottage if she had seen anything unusual, but she hadn’t.

Nunurai, the court heard, advised his wife Madanhi that he suspected there were people in the sanitary lane. He took a torch and went to the eastern side of the precast wall to investigate.

Upon checking outside the wall using the torch light, he saw three armed men in the sanitary lane and ran back to the house.

Before he could enter the house, one of the men had caught up with him.

Munhanga, who had just seen Nunurai being captured, went into the cottage bedroom. She was still narrating what she saw to Chitura when two armed men barged in and ordered them to handover their phones.

Chitura was robbed of US$ 300 while Chaleka was forced to hand over US$305 which was in his wallet. The five victims were corralled into one room and threatened with rape if they did not handover more money.

One of the robbers went into a bedroom where Nadzo was sleeping and attacked him with an iron bar while demanding cash. They ransacked his room and took some personal items including clothes.

Nunurai and Madanhi were blindfolded and dragged into the dining room where the robbers used a hot iron to burn Nunurai on the stomach and hands while demanding more money.

The victims then had their hands tied from the back. The robbers took six bottles of whisky, a Samsung TV and drove off in Nunurai’s silver Opel Astra.

The complainants in the 10th to 12th count are Faith Mukombwe, Berita Mozaland and Ancilla Muroiwa.

They were also robbed of money, mobile phones and other valuables before the gang drove away in one of their vehicles.