Although welcomed by most peace-loving residents, there were tales of harassment of members of the public as they helped the police conduct door-to-door searches. Residents from Chitungwiza, Mabvuku, Tafara and Kambuzuma complained that even the innocent were being harassed by the military as they helped the police conduct door to door searches. Friday, 23 January 1998 It was announced in the press that property worth more than Z$4 million had so far been recovered in Harare and Chitungwiza as an extensive search jointly mounted by police and the army widened. The public were reported to have been supplying information to police on the possible areas where looted property was hidden. “This co-operation from the public has seen us recover property worth $4,44 million since the beginning of the exercise on Monday evening", police said on Thursday, 22 January. More suspected looters, including a 13-year-old boy, appeared on Thursday at the Harare Magistrates' Courts facing charges of public violence. A court official said on Thursday that the court had decided to remand all other cases to a later date to enable it to clear cases involving public violence. He reported that about 1 300 rioters were arrested in Harare alone. He added that all court officers would be on duty today, Friday 23 January. Under the guard of armed policemen and soldier, looters filed in long queues into courtrooms. In one courtroom, 31 rioters from Kuwadzana, Graniteside and Mufakose appeared before Magistrate Mr Wilfred Chipato. Mr Chipato had to order half of the audience in the room to follow the proceedings from outside the courtroom to make room for the suspects. Most of the suspects claimed to have been assaulted by the police. They were all remanded in custody to February 6 although they pleaded with the magistrate to be able to report for work, school, or attend to their children. They were not asked to plead. The State alleged that 13 of the 31 arrested persons stoned vehicles, supermarkets and looted at Kuwadzana Shopping Centre. It is also alleged that another five stoned vehicles, broke shop windows and assaulted people in the Graniteside industrial area while the remaining 13 were charged with looting tuckshops and shops in Mufakose. “… The defence forces will remain deployed until the situation normalises to their satisfaction," said a Government statement. It also said 2 300 arrests had so far been made and goods worth Z$2 million recovered. A cordon and search operation was in progress. Human rights violations Police admitted on Thursday that a number of people were shot and some killed during the justended Food Riots which began on Monday, but not all of them by police. Ten people were shot and injured by the police during the food riots. Eight of the injured were shot in Harare and Chitungwiza. Gunfire from shop owners and security guards injured five others in Kuwadzana and Chitungwiza. All shooting incidents, in which four people died, during the just-ended food riots will be investigated regardless of who was behind them, police spokesman Superintendent Wayne Bvudzijena said yesterday. In a statement, Supt. Bvudzijena said 12 people were injured by gunshots. “Even where the shooting was by the police, we will investigate", Supt. Bvudzijena said. Two of those shot were suspected to have been shot by police, one in Mabvuku and the other in Gweru. A third is believed to have been shot by a shop owner in Chitungwiza and the fourth by security guards in Kuwadzana. It was claimed that the army had not fired a single shot since it's deployment to beef up security in Harare and Chitungwiza's high-density suburbs.