Stabbed Cob In Hot Soup For Disregarding Curfew

By Mellisa Gombe

A 28-year-old police officer stationed at Gwanda Rural police station who was stabbed on the back by an unknown assailant is facing charges of violating the national Covid-19 curfew time, Indaba has learnt.

According to an internal memorandum seen by Indaba, Constable Prince Maringa was walking alone from his friend’s house at around 2.45am Monday morning when he was flashed in the eyes with a torch by an unknown person.

Whilst trying to protect his eyes from the torch flash, he was stabbed in the back with an unknown object.

Maringa fell to the ground in shock and the suspect ran away after the violent act.

“The complainant tried to shadow his eyes with his hands so as to figure out what was happening and the suspect subsequently held the complainant’s hand and stabbed him once on the back with an unknown object. The complainant fell down and the suspect ran away towards the southern direction,” reads the memorandum.

Following the attack, Maringa managed to regain some strength and went on to report the matter at ZRP Gwanda Urban.

Upon receiving the report, police attended the scene but failed to get any leads that might assist in bringing the suspect to book, only to remain suspicious that the assailant might have been someone seeking revenge.

“The police attended to the scene and neither recoveries nor arrests were made. The police later observed that the suspect might be having a grudge with the complainant and was trying revenge.”

Maringa was then referred to Gwanda Provincial Hospital where he is currently admitted after sustaining a deep wound on the back.

However, as investigations are in progress, the tables have turned against Maringa who is now being charged for “disregarding curfew time” in violation of section 4 of Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020. Nhau/Indaba