By A Correspondent | ZimEye | A former Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) officer is reeling from significant losses after a colleague, who retired at the same time as him, allegedly wiped out his pension.
Forward Mapfunde, a resident of Warren Park D, Harare, has taken the matter to court, accusing his former colleague, Tigere Dube (43), of orchestrating the scam.
Dube appeared before Harare Magistrate Ruth Moyo facing fraud charges.
During the proceedings, he was not asked to plead and is now awaiting a bail determination.
Dube was previously stationed at the Ordnance Supply Depot in the Southern Region.
According to the state, on September 23, 2024, Mapfunde received a lump sum payment of USD $13,003.34 and ZWL $14,041, which was deposited into his National Building Society (NBS) Nostro and ZIG accounts. The court noted that Mapfunde’s NBS account is linked to his Econet number.
Between September 28 and 30, 2024, Dube, along with accomplices identified only as Lucky and Jerk, allegedly obtained a fraudulent copy of a National Identity Card bearing Mapfunde’s personal details but with a different photograph.
“The accused approached Econet Rushinga and used the fake ID to replace the complainant’s Econet SIM card,” the court heard.
With the swindled SIM card, Dube and his accomplices downloaded the NBS Bank mobile application and linked it to Mapfunde’s phone number. They then carried out further fraudulent transactions, transferring funds from Mapfunde’s NBS Nostro and ZIG accounts into an Ecocash account under their control.
Subsequently, Dube withdrew funds at various Econet agents in Harare. In addition, the accused made ZIPIT transactions using the NBS mobile application, transferring Mapfunde’s funds into several OMARI, MY CASH, and other bank accounts accessible to them.
On September 30, 2024, Mapfunde experienced network issues and visited an Econet shop in Harare, where his line was reactivated. Upon regaining access to his account, he discovered the fraudulent activities.
The case was reported to Harare Central Police Station on the same day and later referred to CID CCD for further investigation.
The total value stolen is estimated at USD $10,000 and ZWL $12,230, with no recovery made so far.
Anesu Chirenje prosecuted.