Nthatuoa Koeshe
A 43-year-old man who was working as a Superintendent at Mokhotlong Police station appeared before a Mokhotlong Magistrates’ Court on 13 September facing charges of obstructing the course of justice under the Penal Code Act.
According to the Police Spokesperson, Inspector Mpiti Mopeli, the arrest of Molefe Mafaufau followed investigations that revealed that he had interfered in the investigation of a case involving one suspect who was accused of contravening the Firearms Act, which regulates use of guns.
Mafaufau was granted a M 1,000 bail and ordered to pay a M5,000 surety fee when he appeared in the Mokhotlong Magistrates’ Court.
Meanwhile in the Berea district, two male suspects aged 31 and 23 are expected to soon appear before the Berea Magistrate Court to answer to charges of armed robbery. In an interview, Police Inspector Mopeli explained that the two were nabbed by some community members as they fled from a Chinese-owned supermarket where they had just robbed M 2,900, a box of Zam-buk ointment and 448 packets of BB tobacco. After they were handed over to the police, investigations later revealed that on the day in question, the suspects had entered the supermarket pretending to be customers. A few minutes later, they attacked some workers, ordering them to give them money and the other items also stolen that day.
In Mokhotlong, two men accused of murder will appear at the Mokhotlong Magistrates’ Court on 27 September for a further remand. The two – Kopang Lebata and Rajane Lekola are accused of assaulting to death one man they had suspected to have stolen their rope.
Inspector Mopeli said police are concerned about incidents of murder reported throughout the country almost every week. He said in Peka, Ha-Lechesa, a 30-year-old man assaulted his wife to death on 9 September. The accused has since appeared in the Leribe Magistrate Court charged with murder. “We are urging members of the public to desist from taking the law into their own hands when there is a misunderstanding. As the police, we are ready to intervene and assist in resolving disputes amicably and within the confines of the law,” he said.
