Woman Fabricates Charges Against Gweru Police Officer As Revenge After He Refused To Marry Her After Sleepover

Woman Fabricates Charges Against Senior Police Officer As Revenge After He Refused To Marry Her Following Sleepover

A senior police officer based in Gweru was acquitted after a magistrate ruled that assault allegations against him were fabricated as part of an alleged revenge plot following his refusal to marry a former lover after a sleepover.
The court heard that the complainant allegedly pursued marriage demands, made threats, and later laid criminal charges when the relationship ended.

The acquitted officer is Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) member Arnoby Mapera (44), stationed at Mkoba Police Camp in Gweru.

The matter was heard before Gweru magistrate Blessing Makaripe.

Court Dismisses Assault Claims

Handing down judgment, Magistrate Makaripe ruled that the State had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. He found the evidence presented to be inconsistent and unsupported by credible proof.

“The allegations levelled against the accused have not been proved beyond reasonable doubt,” the magistrate ruled.

Mapera had been accused of assaulting Ms Benhilda Furusa following what prosecutors described as a misunderstanding linked to suspected infidelity.

However, the defence argued that the complaint was motivated by anger and frustration after the officer declined marriage.

According to the Chronicle, the court accepted Mapera’s version that the allegations were manufactured after the relationship collapsed.

‘She Insisted She Was Now My Wife’

Through his lawyer, Esau Mandipa of Mandipa, Makwara and Chikukwa Legal Practice, Mapera told the court that Furusa once visited his house for a sleepover but later refused to leave.

“She insisted that she was now my wife,” Mapera told the court in his defence.

He said he chose to move out of his own home, leaving Furusa behind, in an effort to avoid confrontation.
Mapera further testified that Furusa repeatedly arrived at his workplace uninvited.

“She would frequently visit my workplace at Gweru Central Police Station and embarrass me in front of my colleagues, demanding marriage,” he said.

Threats, Harassment And Peace Order

The court also heard that Furusa allegedly travelled to Mapera’s rural home in Marondera, where she introduced herself to his relatives as his wife.

“She was not welcomed by my relatives and due to frustration over the failed marriage demands, she began threatening me,” Mapera testified.

He added that she boasted she would ensure he was dismissed from the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
After entering a new relationship, Mapera said the harassment escalated.

“I applied for a peace order against her, which was granted. It was after this that she decided to fabricate the assault allegations,” he told the court.

The State, led by prosecutor Melodious Kavenga, alleged that an assault took place in October 2025 after the pair disembarked from a commuter omnibus near Mkoba Police Camp.

However, the complainant sustained no visible injuries, a factor the court weighed heavily.

The magistrate ultimately ruled in favour of acquittal.