News / National
$400 fine for $9 000 fraud
08 May 2018 at 07:24hrs | Views
A 23-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo has been fined $400 for defrauding Old Mutual Insurance Company of nearly $9 000 after misrepresenting that a vehicle he bought and insured under the company had been stolen.
The law caught up with David Kontemeniotis Contakis from Burnside suburb, two years after a man he had ordered to dispose of the vehicle was arrested by police for theft of a motor vehicle a week ago.
The man confessed that the car had not been stolen.
Contakis pleaded guilty to fraud before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Sithembiso Ncube.
The magistrate fined him $400 and he will serve three months in prison in case of default. In addition, six months in prison were suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.
For the State, Ms Tafadzwa Mutsambiwa said Contakis bought a silver hatchback Toyota Rav4 in 2016 and registered it with Old Mutual Insurance Company.
She said on September 17 the same year, Contakis went to Bulawayo Central Police Station where he falsely reported that the vehicle had been stolen at Waverly Hotel the same day.
"The matter was recorded and a docket was opened and referred to Vehicle Theft Squad for investigations. Two days later, Contakis approached the insurance company and made a claim of $8 730 for the purported stolen car using the references he got from police," she said.
"Old Mutual Insurance Company deposited $8 730 into his CBZ account in October the same year as compensation for the stolen car.
"On May 1 this year, police arrested Frank Mbengo and recovered the alleged stolen vehicle in his possession. Mbengo revealed that he was given the vehicle by Contakis among other goods for safe keeping before he went to Holland."
Mbengo showed police Whatsapp messages where Contakis was instructing him to burn the vehicle while he was still in Holland.
The law caught up with David Kontemeniotis Contakis from Burnside suburb, two years after a man he had ordered to dispose of the vehicle was arrested by police for theft of a motor vehicle a week ago.
The man confessed that the car had not been stolen.
Contakis pleaded guilty to fraud before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Sithembiso Ncube.
The magistrate fined him $400 and he will serve three months in prison in case of default. In addition, six months in prison were suspended for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence.
For the State, Ms Tafadzwa Mutsambiwa said Contakis bought a silver hatchback Toyota Rav4 in 2016 and registered it with Old Mutual Insurance Company.
She said on September 17 the same year, Contakis went to Bulawayo Central Police Station where he falsely reported that the vehicle had been stolen at Waverly Hotel the same day.
"The matter was recorded and a docket was opened and referred to Vehicle Theft Squad for investigations. Two days later, Contakis approached the insurance company and made a claim of $8 730 for the purported stolen car using the references he got from police," she said.
"Old Mutual Insurance Company deposited $8 730 into his CBZ account in October the same year as compensation for the stolen car.
"On May 1 this year, police arrested Frank Mbengo and recovered the alleged stolen vehicle in his possession. Mbengo revealed that he was given the vehicle by Contakis among other goods for safe keeping before he went to Holland."
Mbengo showed police Whatsapp messages where Contakis was instructing him to burn the vehicle while he was still in Holland.
Source - chronicle
