He used duplicate keys to steal vehicle he had s...

He used duplicate keys to steal vehicle he had sold to customer

Mercedes-Benz A-Class Limousine Price - Images, Colours & Reviews - CarWale

Michael Mashiri

Using duplicate keys, a Marlborough Heights man stole a car he had sold to a customer.

He also faces another charge for fraud after tricking yet another man to deposit ZWL $5 400 000 into his bank account in the pretext of later paying the equivalent in US dollars.

Gerald Pondai, 30, was summoned to the Harare Magistrates’ Courts facing prosecution for contravening Section 113 and Section 136 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act respectively.

The complainant in the first case is Evans Chitsungo, 29, of Avondale West, Harare. On November 9, 2022, at around 1500 hours, Pondai approached Chitsungo and told him that he was selling an unregistered Mercedes Benz A class, white in colour, chassis number unknown and engine number unknown.

Pondai told Chitsungo that he wanted US $10 000 for the car. Chitsungo negotiated with Pondai and paid US$8 000. The transaction process was witnessed by Lloyd Mashaya and Panashe Muchemwa.

Pondai promised to furnish Chitsungo with the necessary paperwork in respect of the car once the outstanding balance had been paid. No agreement of sale was crafted.

On November 21 2022, Chitsungo unsuspectingly parked his car at the Julius Nyerere parcade in the city centre and went to do his business as usual.

Pondai went to the parcade and stole it using a duplicated key and drove off. He later contacted Chitsungo and said he had taken the car and would replace it with a similar one, but silver in colour.

Since that day of communication Pondai became evasive and this prompted Chitsungo to make a police report at Harare Central on December 23 2022.

Pondai was later arrested by detectives from the Vehicle Theft Squad Harare on December 24. Chitsungo lost US$ 8000 in the process and the money has not been recovered.

Later in the same month on December 26, Pondai, who now seemed to have been on the rampage of making criminal offences, defrauded Joachim Basira.

The court was informed that at around 1000 hours Basira met Gerald Mapfumo who is on bail on the same case at corner 3rd Street and Central Avenue Harare.

Pondai together with Gerald Mapfumo Iied to Basira that he intended to pay duty in Zimbabwean dollars at ZIMRA as his goods were held at the border post.

Pondai told Basira to deposit ZWL$5 400 000 into a CBZ account, Atrier Engineering, which is a duly registered company where he is a director. He promised to pay the equivalent in United States Dollars.

Basira took the proof of payment to Mapfumo, who then told him to be patient as he was waiting for Pondai the holder of the CBZ account to bring the exchange money.

Basira waited until November 29 2022, but nothing materialised.

This made him to file a report having now realised that he had been duped.

Mapfumo was subsequently arrested and in the process implicated Pondai as the one who had received money from Basira at his instruction. The total value of the money that was stolen was ZWL$5 400 000 and nothing was recovered.

Pondai appeared before magistrate Dennis Mangosi who remanded him in custody to July 9, 2023.