News / National
3 men in court for 'swapping' gold with counterfeit button
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Three men have been charged with defrauding a gold panner of gold worth US$1,858 by swapping a genuine smelted gold button with a counterfeit one. Aleck Ngoni Pangazira (38), Simbarashe Karimupfumbi (47), and Jeremiah Mutizamhuka (52) appeared before Harare Magistrate Mr. Isheunesu Matova yesterday, facing charges of fraud.
The accused were released on US$100 bail each and remanded to February 26. A fourth suspect, identified only as Nyasha, is still at large.
Prosecutor Mr. Rufaro Chonzi told the court that on January 24, the complainant and Pangazira had collected alluvial gold through panning. Pangazira, working with Mutizamhuka, took the gold to Karimupfumbi's business for smelting.
Karimupfumbi reportedly processed the gold and handed the resulting smelted gold button, wrapped in paper, to Nyasha. However, during the exchange, Nyasha allegedly swapped the real gold button for a counterfeit one that was similarly wrapped. He then returned the fake button to the complainant.
The fraud was discovered when the complainant attempted to deposit the gold button at Fidelity Gold Refineries, where it was found to be counterfeit.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing, with police still searching for Nyasha. This case highlights the risks associated with unregulated gold transactions and the challenges faced by small-scale miners in safeguarding their assets.
The accused were released on US$100 bail each and remanded to February 26. A fourth suspect, identified only as Nyasha, is still at large.
Prosecutor Mr. Rufaro Chonzi told the court that on January 24, the complainant and Pangazira had collected alluvial gold through panning. Pangazira, working with Mutizamhuka, took the gold to Karimupfumbi's business for smelting.
The fraud was discovered when the complainant attempted to deposit the gold button at Fidelity Gold Refineries, where it was found to be counterfeit.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing, with police still searching for Nyasha. This case highlights the risks associated with unregulated gold transactions and the challenges faced by small-scale miners in safeguarding their assets.
Source - the herald
