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Duo in fake birth certificates scam

by Staff reporter
25 Aug 2019 at 09:49hrs | Views
TWO people have been arrested in Bulawayo after they allegedly forged a hospital stamp to generate fake birth certificates.

Cheneso Clara Mumbire (42) and Claudus Chigwere (41), last week appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Jochonia Ncube to answer to charges of forgery. The duo was remanded out of custody on their own cognisance to 28 August 2019 for trial.

Presenting the State's case, Mr Nathan Marime said the duo used a record book belonging to the Registrar General's office, in committing the crime.

"Allegations are that on 30 July 2019 and at Manly Court corner 13th Avenue and Simon Parirenyatwa St, Mumbire and Chigwere plotted to fake a date stamp for Mpilo hospital. Chigwere then processed the date stamp while he was at Hi-gate Complex along Fort Street opposite Pick ‘n' Pay supermarket," said Mr Marime.

The court heard that Chigwere who was now in possession of a fake date stamp and birth record serial numbers 0930236 to 0930335 lured one Miss Evelyn Tavengwa who has two children without birth certificates and offered to assist her with birth records.

"Two fake birth records where processed with serial number 0930242 and 0930243 stamped with a fake Mpilo date stamp in the name Absolom Masasa aged four years and Jacob Masasa aged three years old. The mother took the birth records to Bulawayo Registrar's office for processing.

"The Registrar discovered that the two records were not genuine and he alerted the police leading to the duo's arrest," said Mr Marime.

He said the police found two birth records and processed baby cards.  Mumbire and Chigwere led the police to Hi-gate Complex, where they recovered a stamp which they used to serialise the receipt book.

"The police led by Mumbire and Chigwere went to Mumbire's place of residence where a fake birth record with serial numbers 0930236 and 0930335, affidavits in the name Beauty Ncube and Bethina Sibanda which were yet to be deposited before the commissioner of oaths were found," said Mr Marime.

The court heard that the police approached the Registrar General's office and recovered a processed birth certificate record with serial number 0930323 in the name of Nonhlanhla as the child and Ruth Ncube as the mother.

The fake record book, affidavits and birth records were recovered.

Source - sundaynews