Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE famo music gangsters had shot and killed a man at a filling station in Morija and were now on the run. When they ran into a roadblock in Masianokeng the daring robbers paid their way through, parting with a M19 000 bribe to silence the police.
The four constables – Ralintši Makhakhe, 41, from Tšupane in Matelile, Pusetso Sello, 42, of Lekokoaneng, Liteboho Ranthamane, 47, from Morija and Teboho Kanetsi, 42, from Maputsoe – who gave the suspects a free pass are now in trouble.
They appeared before the Maseru Magistrate on Monday where they were granted bail of M2 000 and surety of M6 000 each. But only Sello managed to pay his fines and he was released while the rest have been detained at the Maseru Central prison.
They will appear again in court on Tuesday. Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Kabelo Halahala said the quartet accepted the bribe on April 28 from the murder suspects after fatally shooting a person at a filling station in Morija.
The police, S/Supt Halahala said, gave chase and when the gangsters were stopped at the roadblock in Masianokeng they paid bribe and were allowed to pass despite that they were in possession of guns.
S/Supt Halahala said the gangsters were later arrested by the Special Operations Unit (SOU) during a sting operation in Liphakoeng in Leribe. The arrested gangsters, police said, were wanted in connection with murders in Morija and Roma.
The police had found a group of men belonging to Terene ea Khosi Mokata-Lirope in the village. When the police arrived and started searching their hideout, a gun fell from a man in that group.
When the police intensified their search, they arrested two men, Tankiso Mabusela, 28, from Mafeteng Ha-Matjeka in Matelile who is also known as Koleke and Khauta Kharakha, 33, from Ha-Shepheseli in Leribe.
The police said the two are major suspects in the killing of Tumelo Selepe, 35, of Ribaneng in Mafeteng who was shot dead in Morija on April 28. The police also said the guns they used to kill were found hidden at another man’s place in Ha-Mothae, Lehlakaneng.
S/Supt Halahala told a press conference that both Makhakhe and Sello had requested early retirement on June 22, at the time when the police had started investigating how the gangsters had passed the roadblock.
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