Two Men Accused of Stealing Bank Card and Funds

Munyaradzi Mashiri- Court Correspondent

Two men, Chester Zvomuya, 37, of Goromonzi, and Memory Ncube, 31, of Manyame Park, have been brought before the Harare Magistrates' Court on charges of theft after allegedly stealing a bank card and withdrawing money from the complainant’s account.

The complainant, Chamunorwa Mhembe, was reportedly swindled out of US$1,000 and ZIG$9,331, which were taken from his account without his consent.

According to prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi, the incident occurred on December 15, 2024, when Mhembe approached Zvomuya, who was selling drinks at the corner of Second Street and Speke Avenue. Mhembe attempted to purchase two drinks using a ten-dollar note, but Zvomuya did not have change. Inquiring about an alternative payment method, Zvomuya asked if Mhembe had an ATM card.

Mhembe then handed over his ATM card to Zvomuya, who, in turn, passed the card to Ncube to process the transaction on her swipe machine. During this process, Mhembe’s card was swapped for another, and he was handed a different card in return.

Unbeknownst to Mhembe, the two accused retained his original ATM card. They proceeded to use it to withdraw money from his account, totalling US$1,000 and ZIG$9,331.

Mhembe soon began receiving bank alerts indicating that unauthorized withdrawals were being made from his account. However, by the time he noticed the theft, the money had already been taken.

As of now, the stolen funds have not been recovered.

The two accused are facing charges of theft, and the case continues to be investigated.

The matter is ongoing, and further court proceedings are expected in the coming weeks.