News / National
Zimbabwean professor kidnapped in SA
22 May 2024 at 05:13hrs | Views
A Zimbabwean professor based in South Africa found himself embroiled in a harrowing ordeal when he was allegedly abducted by a group of eight men seeking to steal his cryptocurrency holdings valued at US$13 billion, a court has been told.
Moses Chademana, aged 60, was granted bail of US$1,000 and remanded out of custody until June 13 by Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa. He faces charges of kidnapping and impersonation in connection with the abduction of Sheperd Sikhosana and his wife, Sekayi Adelpha.
According to the prosecution led by Lancelot Mutsokoti, Chademana and his accomplices in South Africa formulated a plan on May 13, 2024, to abduct Sikhosana and his wife. The group, purporting to be from Interpol, comprised five individuals of African descent and two Caucasians.
The court heard that the accused visited Sikhosana, questioning his involvement with Falcon Gold Digital Forensic and Crypto Recovery Services, a company Sikhosana engaged to recover his wife's hacked cryptocurrency.
Misleading the couple by claiming that Russians had been hired to assassinate them, the kidnappers coerced Sikhosana and his wife into their vehicle, ostensibly for further interrogation at Interpol Zimbabwe.
Subsequently, the kidnappers drove the couple from Johannesburg, crossing the Beitbridge border without undergoing immigration procedures. Upon reaching Beitbridge, they handed Sikhosana and his wife over to Chademana at an Engen service station.
Identifying themselves as Interpol Harare detectives, Chademana and an accomplice allegedly relieved Sikhosana of his cellphones before transporting them to Harare and accommodating them at a lodge. The victims were warned against alerting anyone about their situation.
When Chademana learned that a kidnapping report had been filed, he compelled Sikhosana to fabricate a story for his relatives, falsely claiming he had visited Zimbabwe voluntarily.
Exploiting a moment of absence by their captors, Sikhosana and his wife alerted a relative about their abduction, providing their location, which led to Chademana's arrest.
Moses Chademana, aged 60, was granted bail of US$1,000 and remanded out of custody until June 13 by Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa. He faces charges of kidnapping and impersonation in connection with the abduction of Sheperd Sikhosana and his wife, Sekayi Adelpha.
According to the prosecution led by Lancelot Mutsokoti, Chademana and his accomplices in South Africa formulated a plan on May 13, 2024, to abduct Sikhosana and his wife. The group, purporting to be from Interpol, comprised five individuals of African descent and two Caucasians.
The court heard that the accused visited Sikhosana, questioning his involvement with Falcon Gold Digital Forensic and Crypto Recovery Services, a company Sikhosana engaged to recover his wife's hacked cryptocurrency.
Misleading the couple by claiming that Russians had been hired to assassinate them, the kidnappers coerced Sikhosana and his wife into their vehicle, ostensibly for further interrogation at Interpol Zimbabwe.
Subsequently, the kidnappers drove the couple from Johannesburg, crossing the Beitbridge border without undergoing immigration procedures. Upon reaching Beitbridge, they handed Sikhosana and his wife over to Chademana at an Engen service station.
Identifying themselves as Interpol Harare detectives, Chademana and an accomplice allegedly relieved Sikhosana of his cellphones before transporting them to Harare and accommodating them at a lodge. The victims were warned against alerting anyone about their situation.
When Chademana learned that a kidnapping report had been filed, he compelled Sikhosana to fabricate a story for his relatives, falsely claiming he had visited Zimbabwe voluntarily.
Exploiting a moment of absence by their captors, Sikhosana and his wife alerted a relative about their abduction, providing their location, which led to Chademana's arrest.
Source - newsday
