Businessman loses $24,000 to homeless conman

A HARARE man was duped by a homeless man of US$24 400 cash in a botched scrap metal deal.

Jabesi Kabamba (37), who is of no fixed abode appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi charged with fraud.

Kabamba was remanded in custody to November 3 to allow the police to locate his residential address.

The complainant is Simbarashe Mudubi of Zimre Park.

The two are related.

Allegations are that on October 17 this year, the complainant met the accused person in Harare's central business district.

Kabamba informed Mudubi of his business proposal of buying scrap metal in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for resell in South Africa.

Mudubi then gave US$24 400 to Kabamba who claimed he was proceeding to the DRC.

He promised to return after a week.

After a week, the accused person was no longer picking up calls on his cellphone.

Mudubi contacted the accused person's wife who is based in South Africa and she claimed that her husband was in the DRC.

However, an informer revealed that he was not in the DRC but in South Africa.

Mudubi flew to South Africa where he met the conman at his wife's residence.

He filed a police report, leading to his arrest.