Four Pose as Lands Officials, Defraud Woman Seekin...

Four Pose as Lands Officials, Defraud Woman Seeking Farmland

Michael Mashiri

Zim Now Court Correspondent

Four men have appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court on fraud charges after allegedly impersonating Ministry of Lands and Fisheries officials to defraud a woman seeking farmland.

Wilbert Domboka ,39, Douglas Juru ,43, Shephard Machaka ,36, and Tafadzwa Tapera ,38, allegedly misrepresented themselves to the complainant, who had been referred to Domboka by her brother, Bradley Joseph.

According to prosecutor Tinotenda Masimba, on January 21, Domboka met the complainant at Creamy Inn, Avondale Shopping Centre, Harare, and falsely introduced himself as a lands officer. He provided an incomplete land application form and claimed she needed to pay US$3 000 for a plot at Loyton Farm, Beatrice.

After negotiations, they agreed on US$1 900, and Domboka sent the complainant a land offer letter via WhatsApp, which he later deleted. Suspicious, the complainant alerted the police.

Domboka allegedly enlisted Juru, Machaka, and Tapera to assist in the fraud. The group met the complainant and undercover detectives at Jameson Hotel, Harare, where Domboka introduced his accomplices as a lands officer, cartographer, and agronomist. He then handed over a fake land offer letter and confirmation letter, leading to their arrest.

Police investigations confirmed the documents were fake and that the land in question had already been allocated to someone else. The complainant nearly lost US$1 900 in the scam.