Con-artist in court for fraud

Mercy Ngwebvu
AN attempt to make a quick back backfired on a conman who tried in vain to defraud a cell phone shop at Sanhanga Building of $1 174. Farai Zizhou (43), who stays in Cherutombo, Marondera, appeared before Mutare magistrate Mr Langton Mukwengi last week and pleaded guilty to the fraud charges he was facing. Prosecutor Mr Matthew Chimutunga told the court that sometime in January, the accused went to Creative Credit (Pvt) Ltd at Sanhanga Building with fake documents and obtained two cell phones on credit, a Samsung S5 and an Acer Liquid E3, both valued at $1 174.

“The accused hatched a plan to defraud the company and took a national ID card belonging to Tayari Pasira (an unknown person) and a pay slip from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education where he used to be a contract teacher and scanned it. He also made a fake proof of residence and approached the shop with intentions of getting two cell phones using their credit facility.

“He was given the two cell phones worth $730 and $345 respectively. He then applied for a stop order at the SSB to pay off the cell phones in 24 months. Zizhou’s plan, however, hit a brick wall when the SSB rejected his papers. After careful scrutiny, they discovered that Zizhou had submitted a false and non-existent employment code number,” said Chimutunga.

Zizhou was later identified through the photos he had submitted at Creative Credits during the process of acquiring the cell phones on credit.
He was later arrested when he tried the same trick in Chinhoyi.

Meanwhile, a Palmerston-based man has been moving around schools selling laptops which he never delivered.
Hasha Maringe (31) appeared before Mr Mukwengi but pleaded not guilty to duping teachers from Sakubva 2 High School of $900.

Maringe went to the school in 2012, advertising laptops which he claimed to import from the United Kingdom. He then charged the teachers $150 as deposit for the laptops. The complainants paid the money and were given receipts through the school development secretary.

Since then, he never returned with the laptops until he was dragged to court by the teachers. For failing to attend court on Tuesday, a warrant of arrest was issued to the accused.