Tafadzwa Chidawa, widely known as Detective Kedha, and his co-accused have been acquitted of theft charges in connection with the infamous 2020 staged robbery at Blue Ridge Lodge.
The verdict, handed down today, clears Chidawa of any wrongdoing, despite the sensational nature of the case, which involved allegations of a US$20,000 theft designed to cover up a personal affair.
The case dates back to 2020 when Chidawa, a former police officer and private investigator, was accused of masterminding the robbery with the assistance of several accomplices. According to court documents, the crime was orchestrated to conceal an extramarital affair.
Chidawa allegedly worked alongside Paradza Passmore Matubu, Perseverance Chisango, and Francis Takura, among others, in a scheme to steal US$20,000 from Melody Matanhire, who was misled by a man named Malvern Mutanda into believing he needed clean money to launder.
Matanhire, trusting Mutanda, provided the money and accompanied him to Blue Ridge Lodge, where they were allegedly ambushed by Chidawa and his associates, who posed as police officers.
The group apprehended Mutanda, seized the cash, and later divided it among themselves. Matanhire, unaware of the scam, initially tried to cover up her loss by staging a fake robbery at her home, but investigators eventually uncovered the conspiracy.
While Chidawa and his accomplices initially skipped court proceedings in 2023, the case against him lingered for years.
Despite multiple court appearances and the arrest of other key suspects like Takura, who was found with incriminating evidence including an ID card linking Chidawa to the crime, today’s ruling resulted in the acquittal of Chidawa and his co-accused.
The acquittal comes as a relief for Chidawa, who maintained his innocence throughout the lengthy investigation. “Justice has finally been served,” he said after the ruling. “I have always insisted that I had no involvement in this crime, and today’s verdict confirms that.”
Despite this legal victory, Chidawa’s reputation had already been marred by the high-profile nature of the case, and many are watching to see how this outcome will impact his future endeavors.
His co-conspirators, including Mutanda and Takura, remain at large, and authorities continue to pursue leads in an effort to bring them to justice.
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