Munyaradzi Mashiri- Court Correspondent
A bizarre extortion attempt has rattled Wild Travel Africa (Pvt) Ltd, after two men allegedly demanded money from the travel agency over its handling of passports for Chinese nationals.
Fedrick Moyo ,34, and Lawson Muchongwe ,36, both of Old Highfield, appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts facing charges of extortion.
The State alleges that on June 6, the two, acting in concert with three accomplices still at large — Weston Muzorewa, Paradzai Matubu, and Prosper Chimbumu — visited the offices of Wild Travel Africa.
Upon arrival, they reportedly saw the complainant handing over a bundle of passports to a Chinese national on the street. The accused allegedly seized the passports and demanded an explanation for why the complainant was in possession of such documents and handing them over publicly.
The court heard that the group demanded to inspect the company’s books and records concerning passport handling activities.
After accusing the agency of improperly acquiring passports on behalf of multiple Chinese nationals, the accused allegedly demanded US$2 000 from the complainant and threatened to shut down the company’s operations if the money was not paid.
Fearing arrest or further trouble, the complainant managed to raise US$1 000 and handed it over to the accused in the presence of their accomplices.
The State further alleges that on June 10, Moyo, accompanied by Muzorewa, returned to the premises to repeat the same extortion strategy.
However, employees at the company demanded to see their police identification cards. Moyo allowed the complainant to photograph his ID, prompting Muzorewa to flee the scene in a Toyota Mark X, registration number AGG 2536.
Moyo was arrested on June 12 following a police follow-up.
In total, the complainant lost US$1 000 to the accused.
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