Nampula, Mozambique, July 11, 2025 (Lusa) - The Public Prosecutor’s Office in the province of Nampula, northern Mozambique, is investigating five police officers for alleged involvement in the theft of 56 kilograms of gold and 900 grams of Paraiba tourmaline, it announced on Friday.
Paraiba tourmaline is a type of tourmaline with a blue-green colour discovered in the backlands of Paraíba, in the Metropolitan Region of Patos, Brazil.
It is also called blue tourmaline, and it conquered the international market, becoming a fashion trend mainly in Europe. The rarity, colour and brilliance of the stone are the main reasons for its high price, according to the Companhia de Desenvolvimento de Recursos Minerais da Paraíba (CRDM).
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in that province opened criminal proceedings against the four members of the Mozambican Police (PRM) and one agent of the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic). Investigations are underway, with hearings scheduled at the local court, as announced today at a press conference by the spokesman for the Nampula provincial court, Victor Vilanculo.
He said that the victim is a foreign national and that robbers stole his property on 5 July in the district of Mogovolas, in Nampula. In addition to the police officers, authorities have investigated three other citizens and have opened cases against them on suspicion of involvement in the case.
“People are talking about police officers from Mogovolas, and, as I said, the issue is that the court indicted these police officers in this case because the assailants identified themselves as such and the police also pursued them, finding identification cards belonging to some members of the police inside one of the vehicles,” said the spokesman for the Nampula provincial court.
The court states that the robbery was carried out using three AK-47-type firearms and another pistol.
“The criminals posed as members of the PRM, identified themselves as such, and even showed some police documents,” added Victor Vilanculo.
The police arrested the defendants on 9 July, but the court already released some after the first judicial interrogation, applying provisional release under identity and residence conditions as a coercive measure, the Nampula provincial court said.
PME/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
