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Bulawayo fraudster on the run
2 hrs ago |
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A warrant of arrest for fraud suspect Manase Manjovha remains outstanding, months after his associate, Gladston Mthulisi Tshabalala, was jailed for attempting to defraud a local security company of US$229 000.
Manjovha, whose last known address is in Bulawayo, skipped bail weeks before the conclusion of a trial that saw Harare magistrate Tildah Mazhande sentence Tshabalala to 30 months’ imprisonment in March. Mazhande suspended 18 months on condition of good behaviour, leaving Tshabalala to serve an effective 12 months.
As Tshabalala nears the end of his sentence, police are still hunting for Manjovha, one of three men accused of orchestrating an internet‑banking scam targeting the security company. The third suspect, Dalumuzi Moyo, died before the trial concluded.
Tshabalala was convicted on the strength of overwhelming evidence extracted from the trio’s mobile phones, which investigators said proved they planned the fraud in September 2024. Key State witness and Econet agent Taurai Mushamba also implicated the three during his testimony.
The complainant in the matter was the company’s manager, Cephas Ngorima. The State proved that on 12 September 2024, Manjovha approached Mushamba — who operates an Econet booth at the corner of First Street and George Silundika Avenue in Harare — and requested a replacement SIM card for a line belonging to the company’s director. The line was linked to the company’s Nedbank Nostro account.
Mushamba asked Tshabalala to bring the registered owner of the line and provide the address used during registration. Later, Tshabalala, Manjovha and Moyo returned, claiming one of them owned the line. Mushamba noticed that none of their faces matched the photograph on the national ID they produced, and the address they gave did not match the original registration details.
When Mushamba went to report the matter at a nearby police base, the trio sensed danger and sped off in their Toyota Aqua.
Shortly afterwards, Mushamba was approached by Jefferes Chipwanyira, who offered US$50 for the SIM replacement. Mushamba alerted police, leading to Chipwanyira’s arrest. During interrogation, Chipwanyira revealed that he had been sent by Manjovha and agreed to assist investigators.
On 13 September 2024, officers from Harare Central Police Station and the Harare Homicide section used Chipwanyira to lure the trio from Bulawayo. He called Manjovha, Tshabalala and Moyo, telling them he had secured the new SIM card and the one‑time password (OTP) needed to siphon the US$229 000 from the targeted account.
The trio travelled to Harare but were intercepted in Norton, where they attempted to flee, abandoning their Toyota Aqua. Police arrested them and seized the vehicle and four mobile phones, which were sent to the Cyber Laboratory. A forensic examination confirmed the devices contained information linked to the attempted fraud.
According to the State outline, investigators found clear evidence that the trio intended to defraud the security company.
This case adds to ongoing discussions around financial crime and cyber‑fraud investigations.
Manjovha, whose last known address is in Bulawayo, skipped bail weeks before the conclusion of a trial that saw Harare magistrate Tildah Mazhande sentence Tshabalala to 30 months’ imprisonment in March. Mazhande suspended 18 months on condition of good behaviour, leaving Tshabalala to serve an effective 12 months.
As Tshabalala nears the end of his sentence, police are still hunting for Manjovha, one of three men accused of orchestrating an internet‑banking scam targeting the security company. The third suspect, Dalumuzi Moyo, died before the trial concluded.
Tshabalala was convicted on the strength of overwhelming evidence extracted from the trio’s mobile phones, which investigators said proved they planned the fraud in September 2024. Key State witness and Econet agent Taurai Mushamba also implicated the three during his testimony.
The complainant in the matter was the company’s manager, Cephas Ngorima. The State proved that on 12 September 2024, Manjovha approached Mushamba — who operates an Econet booth at the corner of First Street and George Silundika Avenue in Harare — and requested a replacement SIM card for a line belonging to the company’s director. The line was linked to the company’s Nedbank Nostro account.
Mushamba asked Tshabalala to bring the registered owner of the line and provide the address used during registration. Later, Tshabalala, Manjovha and Moyo returned, claiming one of them owned the line. Mushamba noticed that none of their faces matched the photograph on the national ID they produced, and the address they gave did not match the original registration details.
Shortly afterwards, Mushamba was approached by Jefferes Chipwanyira, who offered US$50 for the SIM replacement. Mushamba alerted police, leading to Chipwanyira’s arrest. During interrogation, Chipwanyira revealed that he had been sent by Manjovha and agreed to assist investigators.
On 13 September 2024, officers from Harare Central Police Station and the Harare Homicide section used Chipwanyira to lure the trio from Bulawayo. He called Manjovha, Tshabalala and Moyo, telling them he had secured the new SIM card and the one‑time password (OTP) needed to siphon the US$229 000 from the targeted account.
The trio travelled to Harare but were intercepted in Norton, where they attempted to flee, abandoning their Toyota Aqua. Police arrested them and seized the vehicle and four mobile phones, which were sent to the Cyber Laboratory. A forensic examination confirmed the devices contained information linked to the attempted fraud.
According to the State outline, investigators found clear evidence that the trio intended to defraud the security company.
This case adds to ongoing discussions around financial crime and cyber‑fraud investigations.
Source - Byo24news
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