A Mochudi man has accused the police of brutalizing him on Christmas Day, claiming that ever since the incident that left him with a bruised face and swollen knees was reported, no action has been taken.
43-year-old Mompati Collen Mohube of Phaphane ward told this publication how a team of police officers, together with soldiers who were on patrol, attacked him while he was preparing to go home after entertainment.
Mohube says he was among a group of about six men who were at the entertainment joint and that the patrolling team forced the other men to leave for their homes and ordered him to stay behind.
“It was around 6.50pm when the team found us behind Vintage Bar and started dispersing us. I immediately got inside my car and a certain Criminal Investigating Department (CID) officer switched off my car engine. He slapped me across the face while the other one pointed a gun at me forcing me to get inside the Botswana Defence Force vehicle,” said Mohube.
Mohube said he appeared to have made things worse when he tried to run away as the CID officers chased and caught up with him and continued assaulting him before they handcuffed and took him to the police station.
“When I got to the police station they prevented me from reporting the issue to the senior officer who was on duty and they later released me. Soon as I left the station my aunt arrived to enquire about the matter and they got angry and threatened to lock me up in police cells. They even refused to give me a medical report form and I only got it on Wednesday after I escalated the matter to senior police officers,” Mohube said.
Though Mohube claimed to have reported the matter, Mochudi Police Station Commander, Superintendent Dick Busang denied that such a case was ever reported to them.
“We do not have such a case before us. If there is any customer mistreated there are always senior officers on duty were one can report such issues. If there is such case he can come forward to report,” concluded the top cop.
