Munyaradzi Mashiri- Court Correspondent
A former Zimbabwe National Army officer has appeared in court on allegations of using a fake national identity card to commit fraud and steal more than US$10,000.
Tigere Dube ,43, of Zvishavane, was arraigned before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo facing fraud charges. He is expected back in court on June 25.
The complainant in the matter is Forward Mapfunde, a former colleague of the accused in the army. Both men retired from the Zimbabwe National Army in 2024 and reside in the Dzivarasekwa suburb.
Prosecutor Nomsa Kangara told the court that on September 23, 2024, Mapfunde received a lump sum payout of US$13 003.34 and ZWL$14 041 into his National Building Society Nostro and ZiG accounts, both linked to his Econet mobile number.
Between September 28 and 30, Dube—allegedly working with two accomplices, Lucky and Jerk, who are still at large—reportedly acquired a fake national ID card bearing Mapfunde’s details but featuring Dube’s photo.
Using this fraudulent ID, Dube is said to have visited Econet Rushinga, where he replaced Mapfunde’s SIM card and assumed control of his mobile line.
With access to the number, the trio allegedly downloaded the NBS mobile banking application, linked it to the number, and accessed Mapfunde’s bank accounts.
The accused allegedly transferred the stolen funds to an EcoCash account, then withdrew cash from multiple Econet agents across Harare. Additional transfers were made via ZIPIT to Omari, MyCash, and other bank accounts under their control.
The fraud was uncovered on September 30 when Mapfunde, facing network issues, visited an Econet shop in Harare and recovered control of his SIM card—only to find his accounts emptied.
The matter was reported to Harare Central Police Station and later referred to the Criminal Investigations Department Commercial Crimes Division.
The total stolen amounts to US$10,000 and ZiG$12,230.
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