Fact Check: The gangs who are scamming motorists are still out there

Claim: A picture circulating on Zimbabwe social media of three men is being used as proof of claims that a gang of bogus policemen which has been scamming unsuspecting motorists in Harare has been arrested.

The picture has been circulating alongside a WhatsApp voice note recorded by a person who claims to have been forced to pay USD$200 by men posing as police officers over allegations of driving through a red stop-sign traffic light at a road junction.

Is the picture that has gone viral that of the men scamming motorists?

True or false?

Verdict: False. This is an old photo.

When was this picture taken?

A reverse image search conducted by ZimFact shows that the above image is from 23 December 2020 when the three men pictured (1 police officer and 2 soldiers) were arrested by Rhodesville Police in the Zimbabwe capital following a string of robberies in Hillside.

Conclusion

The men in the above image are not the scammers who have been duping motorists in Harare lately. Zimbabwe police say they are still investigating the matter.

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