Stolen car deal backfires for Bulawayo pair

POLICE in Bulawayo have said there has been a rise in fraud cases involving the sale of motor vehicles, hence members of the public must exercise due diligence when entering into any deals.

One such case involves Brighton Chipunza and Romeo Nkosinomusa Dube who in May this year allegedly sold a stolen Ford Ranger king cab to a local car dealer, Mr Andile Ndlovu.

Mr Ndlovu had given them a BMW 325 Convertible valued at US$10 000 and US$2 500 as a top up for the Ford Ranger, which was valued at US$12 500.

Mr Ndlovu then sold the car to Ms Precious Chigwagwa and in September it was discovered that the car was reported stolen in South Africa and police impounded it.

Mr Ndlovu is said to have paid back Ms Chigwagwa her money for the purchase of the Ford Ranger and his BMW was taken by the police as an exhibit.

Chipunza and Dube were later given the BMW back by the police and when Ndlovu wanted to collect his car, it is reported that it had been damaged in an accident.

Mr Ndlovu filed a complaint with the police.

Bulawayo police provincial spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said Chipunza and Dube are facing fraud charges.

"Andile (Mr Ndlovu) is a complainant, it is alleged that they took a BMW which was purported to be payment for a vehicle that was later discovered was stolen.

"Investigations are that when they took the BMW from Andile, they knew that the vehicle they were exchanging with wasn't theirs, and the people will appear in court soon, where Brighton and Romeo are facing fraud charges," said Insp Ncube.

He urged people to be careful when buying cars and go through the relevant channels to clear them.

"When people are buying or selling motor vehicles, they need to do due diligence. You cannot deal with motor vehicles or houses like you are selling small items.

"Motor vehicles have registration books and it should go through Vehicle Theft Squad (VTS) and other departments that are relevant. We have received many complaints where they buy motor vehicles on the road without due diligence in terms of verifying the ownership of that particular vehicle," said Insp Ncube.

He said without verifying the ownership of cars, this could lead to a rise of car thefts.

"We are having thefts of motor vehicles, so should we have ready buyers like that we are going to have some challenges.

So, we urge the members of the public, to, before they purchase a car, they should get it checked by the VTS, where the registration number is  confirmed and the engine number and  chassis number and the like are checked. So that the vehicle is for the right owner and it is not stolen or it has been reported stolen," said Insp Ncube.