Man fraudulently claims $1,500 at roadblock

A Chitungwiza man, who reportedly hoodwinked police officers into believing that he was the owner of $1 500 that had been found at a road block appeared in court yesterday.

Simbarashe Mudzvamuse, 37, of New Zengeza 5, Chitungwiza appeared before Harare magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti and was advised to appear for his trial on December 12.

Mudzvamuse is being charged with fraud.

Prosecutor Sabastian Mutizirwa alleged that on May 2 this year, Ishmael Kudzai Ndoro arrived at a police roadblock in Saruwe driving a Nissan Vannette.

Ndoro was coming from Kadoma and the police officers started checking his car.

The court heard that Ndoro then picked $1 500 which was in new and old $100 note denominations lying idle near the roadblock drums.

He reportedly notified police officers and they took the cash before booking it in the Found Property Book.

The money was kept in a safety room at Saruwe Police Station.

The sergeant who was in charge at the roadblock briefed duty officer, one Dengu, about the money.

It was alleged that on the same day, Mudzvamuse got information about the money from an unknown source.

Madzvamuse reportedly hatched a plan to defraud the State and phoned officer commanding Manyame District, only identified as Antonio, pretending to be a genuine complainant.

He reportedly misrepresented that he had lost a similar amount of money in Selous.

The court heard that Antonio checked within his area of command and discovered that a similar amount of cash had been recovered and secured at Saruwe.

Mudzvamuse was then referred to Saruwe for assistance and contacted the officer-in-charge identified as Potoriro who advised him to visit the police station the next morning as it was after hours.

Potoriro told Mudzvamuse that the person in charge of found property had knocked off, making it difficult to enquire about the money.

The court heard that Potoriro later received a call instructing him to take the money to Manyame District Headquarters the following morning where Mudzvamuse would be interviewed before receiving the money.

The money was subsequently handed over to Mudzvamuse.

It was later established that Mudzvamuse never passed through the Selous area on the date in question but was in Chitungwiza.

The money he claimed did not belong to him and State was prejudiced.