Lineo Mahlomola
A 30-year-old former police officer, Tokelo Mosuoe from Ha Khoro, Tšakholo in Mafeteng district has been slapped with a 13-year imprisonment sentence for armed robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
The disgraced former cop who lived in Khubetsoana, last week appeared before the Maseru Magistrate court accused of armed robbery and owning a 9mm unlicensed gun and eight bullets.
The court found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for robbery without a fine option, and a further three-year imprisonment or M3000 fine for possessing the unlicensed firearm.
He failed to pay the fine and will be imprisoned for a collective 13 years for both charges.
According to the Lesotho Mounted Police Service’s (LMPS) interim spokesperson Senior Superintendent Kabelo Halahala, the police received information on September 30 that a 28-year-old man from Ha Selonyane, Qeme was robbed of M5400 at gunpoint by three men at Masowe II in Maseru district.
The police then kicked off investigations which subsequently led to Mosuoe’s arrest.
In a separate incident, a 59-year-old Mathai Mathai from Ha Tsaeeng, Mafeteng district last week appeared before the Mafeteng Magistrate court for possessing an unlicensed 7.65mm firearm and seven bullets.
Mathai was fined M2000 after being found guilty as charged.
SSP Halahala said the information they have indicates that the man was arrested on December 5 after beating up his 25-year-old wife following an argument.
The accused’s wife caught him cheating with another girl at his home. The wife demanded answers from her husband, but instead, he responded by physically assaulting her, the police spokesperson said.
The wife then reported the incident to the police. Mathai’s mistress revealed during police investigations that her lover owned a gun, which the police eventually found with its bullets.
In another crime incident, 39-year-old Thabo Marothole from Lekhaloaneng, last week appeared before the Maseru Magistrate court accused of defrauding two companies of M50 007 using an online payment system.
It is said he would ask for a quotation from these undisclosed companies to place an order, then send someone else to collect the equipment with a fake bank notification message as proof of payment.
In another incident, SSP Halahala said more investigations were ongoing on a case of a 28-year-old man from Koalabata who was found dead at an initiation school in Mahetleng, Ha Matela.
Reports show that the man had tried to run away from the initiation school only to be recaptured at Lekhalong la Baroa and taken back. Physical assault is suspected as his body has bruises.
