Steward bank official, other two accomplices steal $2300 from bank

AN EMPLOYEE with the Steward Bank in Bulawayo allegedly connived with outsiders to defraud his employer of $2300 through activating the dormant account at the bank so that they could clandestinely withdraw the money.

 Owen Gachiti (38) of Hillside and Timothy Garadhi (32) of Bradfield Filing Station in Bulawayo appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Tawanda Muchemwa charged with fraud.

Jonasi Sibanda an employee disappeared and is still on the run.

The two were not asked to plead to the charge and the magistrate granted them $50 bail further remanded them for trial.

The court heard that during March 2015, Gachiti connived with the bank employee Jonasi Sibanda working at the branch along Fife Street in Bulawayo who is still at large to identify from the bank computer system a dormant account number 1000414421 which was once used a client and had cash deposit amounting to $2300. The cash deposit in the dormant account belonged to Steward bank.

Gachiti connived with Sibanda to steal the money and as such Gachiti contacted Garadhi to inform him of the intention to steal from the bank. On March 28 Gachiti and Garadhi went to Sibanda while at work and they informed his of their presence. Acting in common purpose they allegedly activated the dormant account in the bank's computer system so that the money can be accessible by withdrawal from any teller. Garadhi then completed a withdrawal slip and withdrew $1500 which he shared with Gachiti and Sibanda.

On March 31, Gachiti and Garadhi went back to the same bank and withdrew $800 which they shared with Sibanda. The total stolen was $2300 and it was not recovered. The fraud was discovered by officials who then reported the matter to the police. Investigations done led to the arrest of the two while Sibanda a bank employee is still at large.