A Stoneridge man has been brought before the Harare Magistrates Court in connection with a SIM-swap fraud case in which a retired police officer lost a portion of his terminal benefits after his mobile line was allegedly compromised.
Luckmore Matuku, 35, is facing fraud allegations linked to a scheme that targeted Rodwell Muchengadava, a retired Assistant Inspector with the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
The court heard that in August 2024, shortly after retiring from the police service, Muchengadava received terminal benefits amounting to US$11,833.34 and ZWL$18,679.05, which were deposited into his CBZ Bank account.
Prosecutors say that during the same month, Matuku and two accomplices who are already serving prison sentences at Harare Central Prison allegedly conspired to access and divert the funds.
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It is alleged that Matuku fabricated a national identity card bearing the complainant’s details and used it to obtain a replacement SIM card for the victim’s line at Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s Katanga outlet in Norton.
Once the SIM swap was completed, the accused and his accomplices allegedly gained access to the complainant’s mobile banking services by downloading the CBZ mobile banking application linked to his number.
The State further alleges that funds were then transferred from the CBZ account into an EcoCash wallet controlled by the group, before being withdrawn through various agents across Harare.
The fraud is said to have been uncovered when the complainant experienced network disruptions on the same day and later visited an Econet outlet in Beitbridge, where his line was reactivated. Upon restoring access, he reportedly discovered unauthorised transactions and filed a report with police in Beitbridge.
Investigations established that a total of US$7,488.42 and ZWG$8,787 had been lost, with no recoveries made so far.
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