By A Correspondent| Zimbabwean professor based in South Africa found himself in a harrowing situation after allegedly being abducted by a group of eight men aiming to steal his cryptocurrency holdings worth US$13 billion, a court has heard.

Sixty-year-old Moses Chademana was granted bail of US$1,000 and will remain out of custody until his next court appearance on June 13, as decided by Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa. Chademana is facing charges of kidnapping and impersonation in relation to the abduction of Sheperd Sikhosana and his wife, Sekayi Adelpha.

Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti stated that on May 13, 2024, Chademana and his accomplices in South Africa devised a plan to abduct Sikhosana and his wife. The group, posing as Interpol agents, consisted of five individuals of African descent and two Caucasians.

The court was informed that the accused approached Sikhosana, questioning his association with Falcon Gold Digital Forensic and Crypto Recovery Services, a company that Sikhosana had enlisted to recover his wife’s hacked cryptocurrency.

Feigning a threat, the kidnappers falsely claimed that Russians had been hired to assassinate the couple. Under this pretense, they coerced Sikhosana and his wife into their vehicle for purported further interrogation at Interpol Zimbabwe.

The kidnappers then drove the couple from Johannesburg, bypassing immigration procedures at the Beitbridge border. Once in Beitbridge, they handed over Sikhosana and his wife to Chademana at an Engen service station.

Identifying themselves as Interpol Harare detectives, Chademana and an accomplice allegedly confiscated Sikhosana’s cellphones and transported the couple to Harare, where they were housed at a lodge. The victims were warned not to inform anyone about their predicament.

Upon learning that a kidnapping report had been filed, Chademana forced Sikhosana to fabricate a story for his relatives, falsely claiming he had traveled to Zimbabwe voluntarily.

However, taking advantage of a moment when their captors were not present, Sikhosana and his wife managed to alert a relative about their abduction and provided their location, leading to Chademana’s arrest.