200 rounded up at passport office

News
MORE than 200 people were yesterday morning arrested for loitering around the premises of the Bulawayo Passport and Registry offices.

MORE than 200 people were yesterday morning arrested for loitering around the premises of the Bulawayo Passport and Registry offices. MTHANDAZO NYONI OWN CORRESPONDENT

Those arrested were mainly touts who sleep in queues and then sell their places to individuals seeking the services of the office. They were taken to Bulawayo Central Police Station.

Eyewitnesses said the police stormed the area at around 6am and arrested anyone they saw roaming aimlessly outside the Passport and Registry premises and could not provide satisfactory reasons as to why they were there at that time.

“I was busy selling sweets when police came here around 6am and started harassing and arresting people who usually queue here for other people in exchange of money,” a vendor said.

“Those who sell passport holders, those who take passport pictures and those who assist in filling in passport forms were all rounded up,” the vendor said.

There was a visible police presence around mid-morning inside and outside the registry premises when Southern Eye visited the place yesterday and there were no touts in sight.