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Cop granted bail on fraud charges
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A police officer stationed in Rusape has appeared before the Mutare Magistrates' Court facing fraud-related charges and was granted bail of US$100.
The accused, Pardon Bengura, appeared before magistrate Mrs Annie Ndiraya on two counts - fraud and failure to account for goods as defined under the Customs and Excise Control Act (Chapter 23:03).
According to the State, represented by prosecutor Mr Chris Manyuku, the fraud charge stems from an incident that allegedly occurred in September 2025. Bengura is accused of misrepresenting to the complainant that he was selling her a black Honda Fit GD1 for US$3 500.
The court heard that the vehicle, which had no registration plates, was shown to the complainant at Bengura's residence. He allegedly told her that the vehicle was fully registered and that the registration book and number plates were in Harare and would be collected later.
The complainant reportedly paid US$1 800 in cash and deposited the balance of US$1 530 into a Stanbic Bank account. An agreement of sale was signed, after which the complainant took possession of the vehicle.
However, on October 2, 2025, after failing to obtain the promised registration documents, the complainant was allegedly directed to collect them from an unidentified individual at Penhalonga rank in Mutare.
Upon inspection, the registration book and number plates supplied did not correspond with the vehicle's physical particulars, raising suspicion.
Further investigations revealed that the vehicle was not registered with the Central Vehicle Registry and that the registration book provided was forged.
The complainant reported the matter to ZRP Mutare Central on January 20, 2026, leading to Bengura's arrest and the recovery of the vehicle.
On the second count, the court heard that Bengura failed to produce valid importation documents for the vehicle, prompting suspicions that it may have been smuggled into the country.
Bengura was granted bail in the sum of US$100, and the matter was postponed to February 10, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
The accused, Pardon Bengura, appeared before magistrate Mrs Annie Ndiraya on two counts - fraud and failure to account for goods as defined under the Customs and Excise Control Act (Chapter 23:03).
According to the State, represented by prosecutor Mr Chris Manyuku, the fraud charge stems from an incident that allegedly occurred in September 2025. Bengura is accused of misrepresenting to the complainant that he was selling her a black Honda Fit GD1 for US$3 500.
The court heard that the vehicle, which had no registration plates, was shown to the complainant at Bengura's residence. He allegedly told her that the vehicle was fully registered and that the registration book and number plates were in Harare and would be collected later.
The complainant reportedly paid US$1 800 in cash and deposited the balance of US$1 530 into a Stanbic Bank account. An agreement of sale was signed, after which the complainant took possession of the vehicle.
Upon inspection, the registration book and number plates supplied did not correspond with the vehicle's physical particulars, raising suspicion.
Further investigations revealed that the vehicle was not registered with the Central Vehicle Registry and that the registration book provided was forged.
The complainant reported the matter to ZRP Mutare Central on January 20, 2026, leading to Bengura's arrest and the recovery of the vehicle.
On the second count, the court heard that Bengura failed to produce valid importation documents for the vehicle, prompting suspicions that it may have been smuggled into the country.
Bengura was granted bail in the sum of US$100, and the matter was postponed to February 10, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
Source - Manica Post
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