Doves faces two counts of fraud over empty coffin saga
DOVES Funeral Services is facing two counts of fraud after it was discovered the funeral service provider buried an empty coffin and is still to account for the remains of a policy holder, Maxwell Chimwamurombe, months after claiming to have buried him.
Chimwamurombe’s corpse was buried under controversial circumstances earlier last year and had been exhumed as part of measures to give the deceased a respectful burial.
Police detectives and a pathologist investigating the matter concluded that “there were no human remains in the coffin instead it was discovered that there was a plastic bag with a blanket, another plastic bag with two tent body bags and another plastic bag with one trousers, a shirt and a white cloth which were all wrapped in a blanket then placed in the coffin.”
The deceased family had claimed that Doves presented the grieving relatives with an empty coffin for the burial before realizing three days after interment that the corpse was still in the mortuary but remained quiet for six months.
“A team of CID Homicide from Harare led by detective Inspector Tongo visited Ruwangwe police station together with Doves Morgan Funeral Policy officials and requested to be escorted to Chitambara Vilage, Chief Katerere, Nyanga to conduct an exhumation exercise on the remains of Maxwell Chimwamurombe who was buried sometime in March 2021 after drowning in Nyamombe river,” read a police memo.
“It is said that sometime in March 2021 Doves Morgan Funeral policy company had a mix-up of corpses which later came to light and the case was referred to CID Homicide who carried out a first exhumation exercise at Glenview cemetery in Harare where they found two corpses buried in the same grave thus they requested for another exhumation exercise to be carried out at Chitambara village, Chief Katerere, Nyanga as part of their investigations,” the memo continued.
The exhumation exercise was headed by Doctor Javangwe (Chief Pathologist) in the presence of CID Homicide D/I Tongo (I.C Crime) and D/A/I Makota (Investigating officer), Environmental Health Practitioner Mrs Kunyarimwe Esther, Clapaton Chifodya (Chief Katerere), Headman Dzenga, Ward 2 Councillor Stanford Dzawanda, Joseph Chitambara (Chitambara village head), David Paradzai Samakande (Samakande village head) and the Chimwamurombe family members.
The remains were exhumed and taken to Avilla Mission hospital mortuary where they were examined by Doctor Javangwe in the presence of all the interested parties.
It was discovered that there were no human remains in the coffin instead it was discovered that there was a plastic bag with a blanket, another plastic bag with two tent body bags and another plastic bag with one trousers, a shirt and a white cloth which were all wrapped in a blanket then placed in the coffin.
“Doctor Javangwe, chief Pathologist announced that his findings will be highlighted in a report which he will submit to CID Homicide whilst CID Homicide I.C Crime D/I Tongo stated that the Doves Morgan Funeral policy company will be charged with two counts of Fraud,” reads the memo.
“The first count is that of defrauding the policy holder who was paying her premiums but failed to offer her the expected services. The second count is that of defrauding Harare City council by paying for one grave then later buried two corpses in the same grave.”
The coffin remains and all the items which were inside were labelled and taken to CID Homicide as exhibits.
