Greetings, Crime Watch Zim. Please share my story anonymously. I am a 34-year-old man, and this is what happened to me: On 27 October 2025, I travelled from Gwanda to Masvingo, and on 29 October, I went from Chivi to Beitbridge to visit my family. I arrived in Beitbridge at around 8 p.m., and after resting for about an hour, I went out to find transport back to Gwanda. At the bus stop, there were several people also waiting for transport. After about 30 minutes, a police vehicle arrived. As soon as it stopped, some of the young men who load vehicles ran away. We remained standing there because we didn’t know what was happening. The police shouted that anyone who tried to run would be shot. They ordered everyone to get into the vehicle. We tried to explain that we were just waiting for transport, but they said it didn’t matter, everyone should get in. When we got to the charge office, they searched everyone but found nothing illegal. Despite that, they locked us in the cells. The next morning, other officers came and asked each of us why we had been arrested. We explained the situation, and they told us that we had been detained by another team who would return for duty at midnight. We waited the whole day, but when we asked again, we were told the arresting officers had gone to the border and would return the next night. Then one officer said, “If anyone has $30, they can just pay a fine.” But they warned us that the receipt would be marked “Admission of Guilt,” meaning we would be admitting to an offence we didn’t commit. Out of frustration and fear, we paid the fines just to be released. When the junior officer asked his senior what charge to write on the paperwork, the senior told him to write “public drinking,” yet none of us had been drinking, including the women among us. One of the most painful parts of this story was about a young man who had just arrived from home to receive his 73-year-old mother who was coming from South Africa. It was her first time ever in Beitbridge. The moment she arrived at the Engine Garage, the police came and arrested her son before he could even greet her. He tried to explain, but they refused to listen. His phone battery died, and his mother, who only had a South African line, was left stranded. The young man’s wife’s phone had also died, so the old lady ended up sleeping at the garage for two nights with no help or communication. My question is: Can someone really be forced to pay a fine for a crime they did not commit? Is it lawful to be charged and fined under such circumstances in Zimbabwe? @PoliceZimbabwe