TWO Beitbridge police officers have been arrested for allegedly assaulting an unlawful entry and theft suspect to death, burnt his remains which they then stashed in a sack and hid them in a drainage system to conceal the crime.

The two police officers – Constables Xander Siasayi (33) and Daniel Peyani (32) of Tuli and Zezani police camps were arrested on Friday for the offence they allegedly committed while investigating an unlawful entry and theft case which had occured at Toporo Special Bottle Store in Zezani.

Police spokesperson for Matabeleland South Province Inspector Loveness Mangena confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway.

Insp Mangena further said they were still searching for the missing parts of the victim and trying to find out how and why the body was burnt.

Circumstances according to the police statement are that on 27 December, 2020, at about 8am, the now deceased’s girlfriend, Beatrice Ndou (24), who is employed at Toporo Special Bottle Store, made a report at Swereki Police Base alleging that her boyfriend broke into her workplace and stole cash amounting to 10 140 rand and $200.

Upon receiving the report, Constables Siasayi and Peyani, who were manning the police base, did not record it in the report book.

On the same day at about 7pm, the now deceased was picked up from Toporo Special Bottle Store where he was residing with his girlfriend, Beatrice.

Siasayi and Peyani then escorted him and a co-accused, Godknows Mbedzi, back to Swereki Police Base where they spent the night under police custody. “On the 28th of December 2020 at around 6am while at the police base, the accused persons assaulted the now deceased with a stick on the thighs and buttocks several times interrogating him about the alleged stolen money,” police sources said.

-State Media