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Serial car fraudster jailed over rental scams
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A 36-year-old serial fraudster, Christen Nketa, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of stealing multiple vehicles from car rental companies using a string of fake identities. The court suspended two years of the sentence, leaving Nketa to serve an effective eight years behind bars.
Nketa, described by prosecutors as a habitual offender, operated under several aliases, including Last Mukomawasha, Elliot Mandere, and Prince Chari. Between October and November 2024, he executed a calculated car theft scheme that left multiple rental companies counting losses and police racing to recover stolen vehicles.
According to court proceedings, Nketa's modus operandi involved the use of counterfeit national identity cards, fake driver's licences, and falsified proof of residence documents to convince unsuspecting car rental firms that he was a legitimate client. Once a vehicle was secured, he would make an initial payment to appear credible before vanishing with the car. The stolen vehicles were then sold to unsuspecting third parties, often accompanied by altered ownership papers to make the transactions appear legitimate.
Three specific incidents presented in court highlighted Nketa's trail of deception. On October 22, 2024, he used a fake ID to rent a Honda Fit. The car was later traced to Damafalls after being sold. The buyer, upon realizing they had been scammed, notified police, and the vehicle was recovered by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Vehicle Theft Squad.
On November 5, Nketa used forged documents to rent a Toyota Axio, which he later sold in the Demand area. Police eventually tracked and recovered the car from an unwitting buyer. Just over a week later, on November 13, he rented another Honda Fit, claiming he was traveling to Marondera. However, the vehicle's GPS tracker revealed it had been taken to Murisa village in Seke, where it was subsequently recovered by authorities.
Nketa's fraudulent spree came to an end on February 27, 2025, after detectives received a tip-off about his whereabouts. He was arrested in central Harare while attempting to escape, with assistance from alert members of the public. Upon his arrest, police found additional forged identity documents in his possession.
The court, citing the premeditated nature of the offences and the financial losses suffered by both rental agencies and innocent buyers, handed down a custodial sentence intended to deter similar crimes. Nketa will now serve eight years behind bars, marking a temporary end to his repeated cons in the vehicle rental industry.
Nketa, described by prosecutors as a habitual offender, operated under several aliases, including Last Mukomawasha, Elliot Mandere, and Prince Chari. Between October and November 2024, he executed a calculated car theft scheme that left multiple rental companies counting losses and police racing to recover stolen vehicles.
According to court proceedings, Nketa's modus operandi involved the use of counterfeit national identity cards, fake driver's licences, and falsified proof of residence documents to convince unsuspecting car rental firms that he was a legitimate client. Once a vehicle was secured, he would make an initial payment to appear credible before vanishing with the car. The stolen vehicles were then sold to unsuspecting third parties, often accompanied by altered ownership papers to make the transactions appear legitimate.
On November 5, Nketa used forged documents to rent a Toyota Axio, which he later sold in the Demand area. Police eventually tracked and recovered the car from an unwitting buyer. Just over a week later, on November 13, he rented another Honda Fit, claiming he was traveling to Marondera. However, the vehicle's GPS tracker revealed it had been taken to Murisa village in Seke, where it was subsequently recovered by authorities.
Nketa's fraudulent spree came to an end on February 27, 2025, after detectives received a tip-off about his whereabouts. He was arrested in central Harare while attempting to escape, with assistance from alert members of the public. Upon his arrest, police found additional forged identity documents in his possession.
The court, citing the premeditated nature of the offences and the financial losses suffered by both rental agencies and innocent buyers, handed down a custodial sentence intended to deter similar crimes. Nketa will now serve eight years behind bars, marking a temporary end to his repeated cons in the vehicle rental industry.
Source - NewZimbabwe
