The Zimbabwe Republic Police has been given 72 hours to furnish the family of a suspected armed robber, Tendai Batsirai Dzigarwi, with circumstances surrounding his death after he was allegedly shot dead while in custody on March 19.
Police claim Dzigarwi and his alleged accomplice Emson Ngundu were shot dead in a foiled escape attempt.
But the family alleges the two were murdered, prompting them to refuse to bury him until a post-mortem report detailing the circumstances of his death was provided.
According to High Court papers, police had told the family they would give Dzigarwi a pauper’s burial if they refused to bury him within 21 days.
A state pathologist, Dr Ageuro-Gonzalez, conducted the first autopsy March 23, but the family claimed they were not shown the results. They then approached the High Court seeking an order for a second post-mortem.
Dzingarwi family lawyer, Tawanda Zhuwarara of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights told VOA that results of the second postmortem conducted by a South African pathologist have shown otherwise, prompting the court to give the police an ultimatum.