Duo hacks Reds and Blue director’s details, steals...

Duo hacks Reds and Blue director’s details, steals money from him

Michael Mashiri

Zim Now Correspondent

A man from Mufakose, Harare, allegedly hacked the Reds and Blue Parts director’s details and used them to steal money from him.

Tatenda Gunguwo, 40, of Mufakose, appeared before magistrate Dennis Mangosi at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts charged with fraud.

He was remanded in custody to June 6 for bail application.

The complainant in this matter is Lazarus Hacha, 42, the director of Reds and Blue Parts Private Limited.

The State, through prosecutor Thomas Chanakira, alleges that on March 4, Gunguwo - together with his co-accused Desmond Zhakata - who is still at large, hacked Hacha’s mobile line and went to Econet Goromonzi where Zhakata produced a fake metal identity card bearing Hacha’s particulars.

This was despite the fact that Hacha had never lost his national identity card and had the card.

It is alleged that Zhakata lied

to Econet officials that he was Hacha before replacing a sim card number belonging to Hacha without his knowledge.

Soon after, Gunguwo - together with Zhakata - went on to demand payments from Nyathi Harvesters and Howard Marowa, who are Hacha’s customers whom he had supplied with spare parts for farming equipment.

The court heard that on March 4, Gunguwo and Zhakata called one Scott Mellor, director of Nyathi Harvesters Pvt Ltd pretending to be Hacha.

They told him to transfer money into a Steward Bank account and he transferred US$1 750 into the Steward Bank account belonging to Muboko Enterprises.

It is alleged that on the same date, Gunguwo, who was working with Zhakata, called Marowa pretending to be Hacha and told him to transfer US$200 into an EcoCash account.

Marowa then transferred the money into the Ecocash account which was registered in the name of Michael Nyimo.

The court heard that Hacha reported the matter to the police on March 6, they served Steward Bank with a warrant of search and seizure requesting the bank to temporarily hold US$1 750 deposited by Nyathi Harvest and the froze the account.

It is alleged that on April 12, it is alleged that the accused approached Hacha and told him that he was in a position to recover his national identity card which was used to replace his simcard at Econet Goromonzi.

On April 13, the accused allegedly brought the fake metal national identity card with Hacha’s particulars, which were used to replace his simcard at Econet.

The metal identity card was recovered by police and is kept as exhibit.

On April 19, it is alleged that Gunguwo approached Hacha and voluntarily told him that he knew the person who had hacked his phone and defrauded him as Zhakata.

On April 20, Gunguwo led Hacha to Chitungwiza where Zhakata resides but could not locate him.

As a result, Hacha lost US$200 and suffered a potential loss of US$1 750.