By Ohenenana Kofinipa
A Tanzanian man who makes a living off the fear of those who have infringed the law has been grabbed by the long arm of the law.
Posing as a state security officer, Gunner Saimon Meena 419s people in trouble with the law. He took huge sums of money from his victims with police or court cases on the pretext of quashing their cases for them.
In an interview with reporters, Mr Suleiman Kova, Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander, said 40-year-old Meena has been under police surveillance for quite some time following several complaints from various individuals, adding that preliminary investigations showed that his name was not appear on the list of employees of national security organ.
“The suspect was arrested recently after he threatened a trader identified as Abdi Mohamed Dalmar, a Tanzanian of Somali origin, after the suspect asked for 25m/- on grounds that the businessman was engaged in activities that threatens national security,” he said.
Kova hinted that Meena would be charged to court after investigations were completed.
The police are also putting together a team to investigate the circumstances of the death of Mr Damian Liberatus who died at Muhimbili National Hospital, where he was taken for treatment by police officers from Sitaki Shari police station at Ukonga area.
“The team will be led by the chief investigator from the special zone and will include doctors, family lawyer and other police officers to establish why the deceased was in constant dispute with one Mr Hamis Magoma which led them to attack each other every time they met”, Kova said.
The team will also probe how the deceased was arrested and taken into custody at Sitaki Shari police station and how he was treated before being taken to MNH for treatment.
“According to preliminary investigations, the late Liberatus Damian had been at odds for a long time with Mr Magoma and they usually engaged in physical confrontation every time they met,” Kova explained.
According to Mr Kova, on one occasion the deceased was arrested for allegedly seriously wounding Mr Magoma with a machete, who was then taken to MNH for medical treatment and that it was policemen from Sitaki Shari who saved the deceased from an angry mob.
“If it is discovered that any person was involved in the death of Mr Liberatus, the law will take its course and anyone with information related to the incident should report to the head of the probe team,” the police boss solicited.