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POLICE in Bulawayo have arrested two men for defrauding a passport seeker they told they could process birth certificates but went on to forge one for him.
Nkosilathi Ncube (27) and Gareth Phiri were separately charged with fraud and forgery when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Gladmore Mushove on Friday.
Ncube, of Number 6 Dorchester House along Herbert Chitepo Street pleaded not guilty to receiving $15 from the complainant, Mr Allen Mgcini who is an intern at the Bulawayo City Council diesel and plant fitting section and was remanded to Monday.
Phiri pleaded guilty and was fined $150 or 45 days in jail. In addition, Phiri was sentenced to a wholly suspended three months in prison on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within five years.
In the case of Ncube, Mr Mgcini went to the Registrar-General Bulawayo Provincial Offices to apply for a passport and he (Ncube) allegedly told him that he could replace his torn birth certificate.
The court was told Ncube took the copy of the birth certificate to Phiri at Dorchester House who then produced a counterfeit computerised birth certificate from their printing office located in the block of flats.
Mr Mgcini allegedly paid Ncube the $15 when he was given the copy of a supposedly new birth certificate and proceeded to the Provincial Registrar’s office on 11 October intending to apply for a passport.
An alert officer, Mr Frank Grey noticed that it was not original.
A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of Ncube and Phiri.
Miss Vimbai Mutukwa represented the State.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo