Boyfriend dupes woman of US$28k

Prosper Dembedza, Herald Correspondent

A woman who trusted her boyfriend over a stand and gave him US$28 000 to transfer the property was cheated, a magistrate heard yesterday.

The boyfriend, Thomas Jemuse, appeared in court on charges of defrauding his ex-girlfriend of US$28 000 in a foiled land deal.

Harare magistrate Mr Sheunesu Matova remanded him in custody until today for bail ruling.

Court documents indicate that in September 2022, Jemuse, who is Plan B Motor Spares (Private) Limited operations manager, misled a woman with whom he was allegedly in a romantic relationship, claiming he had a residential stand measuring 500 square metres for sale in Hogerty Hill, Borrowdale, Harare.

Initially, the price of the stand was set at US$30 000 before it was negotiated down to US$28 000.

Trusting him, the woman did not verify the details and paid the full amount, relying on Jemuse’s promise to provide an agreement of sale.

After receiving the payment, however, Jemuse distanced himself from the woman and became increasingly elusive.

Despite her repeated attempts to contact him, she received no response, leading her to file a police report.

As a result of Jemuse’s alleged misrepresentation, the woman suffered a financial loss of US$28 000, with no recovery made to date.