Bogus Econet technicians in US$90,000 lithium battery heist

Three men appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court facing 17 counts of unlawful entry after allegedly stealing lithium batteries worth US$90,000 from various Econet Wireless Zimbabwe base stations across Harare.

Tinashe Tinarwo (23), Luckmore Mhoyana (24), and Munashe Munetsi (25) appeared before magistrate Jesse Kufa.

The State, represented by prosecutor Ephraim Zinyandu, alleges that the scheme was masterminded by Tinarwo, who was previously attached to Nytel Communications, a company contracted by Econet to install batteries at its network sites.

According to court papers, the alleged thefts began in October 2025 when the trio, dressed in reflective jackets branded "Econet," targeted the Fidelity Assurance building in Harare.

The suspects allegedly posed as technicians from Econet Wireless Zimbabwe head office and told security guards they had been sent to service Huawei lithium batteries at the base station.

Believing the explanation, the guards reportedly granted them access to the premises. The trio allegedly stole two 48-volt, 100Ah lithium batteries connected to a rectifier before fleeing the scene.

The court heard that between March and April 2026, the accused allegedly repeated the same tactic at the Harare Main Post Office, where they convinced the caretaker that they were authorised technicians from head office.

Once inside, they allegedly stole three additional 48-volt, 100Ah lithium batteries.

Prosecutors further allege that during the same period, the trio also targeted the State Lottery Building along Julius Nyerere Way in Harare's central business district.

After reportedly deceiving the caretaker into granting them access, they allegedly unlocked a secured battery cabinet and stole another three lithium batteries.

In another incident, the State says the accused went to the Gandabhai building in downtown Harare, where they allegedly used a key to unlock a cabinet securing the base station's power supply before stealing three more batteries without detection.

The prosecution alleges that the suspects used the same method at several other base stations across Harare's CBD, resulting in losses amounting to approximately US$90,000.

The matter remains before the courts.