Police detectives allegedly tortured a robbery suspect to death and later pumped bullets into his body to conceal the evidence of torture.
They later claimed that the suspect was gunned down after threatening to strike investigating officers with a machete.
This emerged at the Harare magistrates court last week during an inquest into the death of Tawanda Zvinowanda from Chitungwiza who was arrested on robbery charges. Zvinowanda was declared dead on August 17 last year.
The inquest into his death is being presided over by magistrate Simon Kandiero.
It was requested by Amnesty International, which queried the police version of events leading to Zvinowanda's death.
According to police, the deceased tried to attack police officers during indications and was gunned down.
Amnesty International intervened and queried the police version after interviewing the deceased’s family.
In their letter to Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe Amnesty International demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the killing of Zvinowanda.
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"We have established that in the morning of Wednesday 17 August, Zvinowanda ...was arrested at his home in Chitungwiza, Mashonaland East by three Criminal Investigation Department (CID) police officers dressed in plain clothes,” Amnesty International said.
“A witness account from Zvinowanda’s wife indicates that he was subjected to brutal beating by the three officers prior to his arrest and was then handcuffed and thrown into the boot of a silver Honda CRV.
“The police officers did not inform Tawanda or his family what he was being arrested for before driving off with him.”
According to Amnesty International, police at Makoni denied having arrested and detained the deceased.
“Zvinowanda’s wife along with his mother and sister then proceeded to the local police station to enquire on his whereabouts but police officers at Makoni Police Station could not account for his whereabouts as he was not logged in as an arrested person,” read the complaint.
"The three women waited at the police station from around 1pm until they were ordered to leave at around 7pm that evening without seeing Tawanda.
“Upon their return to the police station at around 6am the following morning, the three women were taken to the police cells in the CID section where they still could not find him. Tawanda was still not logged in as an arrested person at the police station."
Amnesty International said the family was then notified the following morning that Zvinowanda had died the previous day at Unit L Chitungwiza cemetery.
After his body was taken for post mortem it was revealed that he died from a “gunshot wound to the throat, secondary to assault”.
During the inquest last week, the family’s lawyers were arguing that the gunshot wound on Zvinowanda’s body was secondary after he had been assaulted to death.
The inquest is continuing this week.
According to the disputed police version, on August 17, 2022, detectives from CID Chitungwiza received information that Zvinowanda was a wanted person in cases of armed robbery.
Police said after his arrest, the deceased voluntarily led them to a cemetery for indications where he had allegedly hid his weapons.
"After walking for a distance, the now deceased suddenly bent down, picked a machete and attempted to strike a detective who was close to him,” police said.
“One of the detectives who was armed upon realising the danger that was being posed by the now deceased, fired a shot at the now deceased and he fell down,” police said.
Police said the deceased was pronounced dead upon arrival at Chitungwiza Central Hospital.
"A post mortem was performed at Chitungwiza General Hospital and it was concluded that the now deceased passed away as a result of Hypovolemic shock, lacerated arteries, gunshot wound on the throat and secondary assault.”
The family disputes the police version and says Zvinowanda was tortured to death and later shot to conceal evidence of his murder.
