Photos expose insurance scam to steal US$90 000 fr...

Photos expose insurance scam to steal US$90 000 from Old Mutual

Michael Mashiri

An attempt to defraud an insurer into paying for damage that happened prior to insurance was foiled because the would-be scammers failed to sync accident photos with the tow company that attended the staged accident scene.

Henrics Dhonga, 30, of Waterfalls in Harare, Lloyd Makuzva, 45, of Zengeza 1 in Chitungwiza and Reality Chuma, 30 of St Mary's Chitungwiza are being charged with fraud as defined in Section 136 (a)(b) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.

The complainant in the matter is Old Mutual Insurance Company which was represented by Kudakwashe Rufudza.

The court heard that in May 2022, Dhonga was approached by Munyaradzi Ramewa, who is still at large, who told him that his motor vehicle, a VW Touareg, was involved in an accident.

He told him that the car was parked in Mutare at his house and he wanted the accused persons to repair it.

The accused trio then decided to defraud Old Mutual Insurance Company by insuring the motor vehicle through Chuma for US$90 000, this despite the fact that the vehicle had been involved in an accident.

On 14 August 2022, Dhonga and Makuzva proceeded to Mutare where they met Ramewa and staged an accident involving the VW Touareg motor vehicle. They then went to ZRP Mutare Traffic to report the stage-managed accident and the car wreckage was attended by the police and a private tow company, Road Angels.

On 20 September 2022, the accused persons made a claim, through Chuma, who is an employee at Bright Insurance Brokers Private Limited, stating that the motor vehicle was severely damaged on the front, suspension, engine and gear box.

Acting on the misrepresentation, Old Mutual Insurance Company went on to process the claim for the sum of US$90 000.

The case came to light when Old Mutual discovered that the photos they had received from the accused were different from the ones submitted by Road Angels who had towed the vehicle from the scene.

If the process of insuring the car had proceeded, the total amount that Old Mutual was going be prejudiced of is US$90 000.

The three men were ordered to appear in court on December 13 for bail application.