Lost, found cellphone lands cop in trouble

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A POLICE sergeant based at Nyamandlovu Ticehurst Police Base is in trouble after allegedly receiving a lost and found heavy duty truck wheel and a cellphone

A POLICE sergeant based at Nyamandlovu Ticehurst Police Base is in trouble after allegedly receiving a lost and found heavy duty truck wheel and a cellphone which he claimed as his own.

STAFF REPORTER

Barnabas Mazanhi (38), who was the officer in charge of the police base, is denying charges of theft.

Mazanhi was initially charged with two counts of theft for unclearly disposing of a lost and found heavy vehicle wheel worth $450 and personally using a cellphone worth $30 that had been handed in.

Mazanhi was remanded to November 21 on $50 bail by magistrate Takundwa Witness Mtetwa at a circuit court in Nyamandlovu.

The court heard that on September 29 2010 at around 1am, Mazanhi was at Ticehurst Police Base where he received a size 20 heavy vehicle wheel from Nkosi Headman Sigudu, a neighbourhood watch committee member and Collen Mguni, who was a deputy headmaster at Mahlothova Secondary School in Nyamandlovu.

The wheel had been picked up by pupils who were extinguishing veld fires within the school premises.

It is the State’s case that Mazanhi did not hand the wheel over to the station and it is not known where he took it to.

It is also alleged that he also received a Nokia cellphone from Ndabezinhle Ndlovu at the same station between August 16 and September 30 2010.

Mazanhi allegedly did not hand the gadget to the station, but kept it for personal use.

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