Bail skipping fraud suspect on the run a year later

A WARRANT for the arrest of fraud suspect Manase Manjovha remains outstanding months after his alleged accomplice, Gladston Mthulisi Tshabalala, was convicted and jailed for his role in an attempted US$229 000 internet banking fraud.

Manjovha, whose last known address is in Bulawayo, reportedly skipped bail weeks before the conclusion of the trial, leaving police still searching for him.

Harare magistrate Tildah Mazhande sentenced Tshabalala to 30 months in prison in March, with 18 months suspended on condition of good behaviour, leaving him to serve an effective 12 months.

Tshabalala was one of three men accused of orchestrating the attempted fraud against a local security company in September 2024. The third accused, Dalumuzi Moyo, died before the trial was concluded.

The case centred on an alleged plan to gain control of a mobile phone number linked to the security company director and use it to access the company's Nedbank Nostro account, which held US$229 000.

The prosecution presented evidence from Econet agent Taurai Mushamba, who told the court that Manjovha approached him on September 12, 2024, at his Econet booth at the corner of First Street and George Silundika Avenue in Harare.

Manjovha allegedly requested the replacement of a SIM card for a number registered in the name of the security company's director. The number was linked to the company's bank account.

Mushamba, however, became suspicious when Manjovha and his alleged accomplices later presented themselves as the registered owner of the number.

According to the evidence, none of the men matched the photograph on the national identity document they produced, while the address they provided also differed from the address recorded when the mobile number was registered.

Mushamba reportedly went to the nearest police base to report the suspicious request, prompting the three men to flee in a Toyota Aqua.

Mushamba was subsequently approached by Jefferes Chipwanyira, who allegedly offered him US$50 to facilitate the SIM replacement.

After contacting police, Mushamba assisted investigators in setting a trap for the suspects.

During interrogation, Chipwanyira allegedly told police that Manjovha had recruited him to carry out the SIM replacement.

On September 13, 2024, investigators from Harare Central Police Station and the Harare Homicide section allegedly used Chipwanyira to lure the suspects from their Bulawayo base.

Chipwanyira contacted Manjovha, Tshabalala and Moyo and told them that he had secured a replacement SIM card.

The suspects allegedly travelled to Harare to collect the SIM card and obtain the one-time password (OTP) required to access the targeted bank account and transfer the US$229 000.

However, the operation was intercepted in Norton, where the suspects allegedly attempted to flee, abandoning their Toyota Aqua.

Police arrested the men and recovered the vehicle and four mobile phones, which were subsequently submitted to the Cyber Laboratory for forensic examination.

The forensic analysis reportedly uncovered information on the devices linking the suspects to the attempted fraud.

The State argued that the evidence demonstrated a clear intention to gain unlawful access to the security company's funds.

Tshabalala was subsequently convicted and sentenced, but Manjovha remains at large.

With his alleged associate already serving his sentence, police continue to pursue Manjovha, whose outstanding arrest warrant remains a key development in the long-running fraud case.