POLICE officer testifies in taxi driver murder case

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Death penalty
Death penalty
A POLICE officer has testified in the Kitwe High Court how he arrested a Congolese national and two Zambians for allegedly murdering a 31-year-old taxi driver and later dumping his body at Chingola Road Cemetery.
Christopher Tembo said after investigating a report of murder, he arrested the Congolese and two Zambians who were found hiding under a bed in Kawama Township.
Mr Tembo was testifying in the case in which Augustine Mwamba Mbuzakosi, believed to be a former aide of then Zaire’s late President Mobutu Sese seko, is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and murder.
Mbuzakosi is jointly charged with Kelvin Mwamba and Francis Kayombo of Kawama Township after they allegedly robbed Justine Kaseloki of a Toyota Spacio, registration number ACR 1556 valued at K35,000 and allegedly murdered him on July 2, 2012.
Mr Kaseloki’s tongue was pulled out and his body dumped at Chingola Road Cemetery.
Testifying in the matter, Mr Tembo, 41, told High Court judge Isaac Kamwendo that after receiving a report from his superiors to investigate the case, he obtained printouts from mobile phone providers.
He said the printouts indicated that the last number on the deceased’s phone was that of a security guard from Chambishi.
Mr Tembo said after approaching the guard, further investigations revealed that he had communicated prominently with someone whose name he had served as ‘Doc Papa’.
He said after inquiring who ‘Doc Papa’ was, the guard led him to a house in Kawama Township, where he found Mbuzakosi and apprehended him.
He told the court that he heard more movements in the same house and after a search Mwansa and Kayombo were found hiding under the bed.
The court heard that after interviewing the three suspects, Mwansa and Kayombo said they were approached by Mbuzakosi to do some piece work which they did not know about.
Mr Tembo further told the court that Mbuzakosi led the officers in recovering the vehicle in the Democratic Republic Congo.
At this point the defence lawyers objected to the line of evidence- in -chief by the prosecution team that the statements from the accused persons were not given voluntarily.
Hearing continues.

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