Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
FOUR people have been arrested for allegedly facilitating the trafficking of Zimbabwean nationals to Russia after misleading them they were going to be firefighters in that country.
The men were promised lucrative salaries and favourable working conditions.
Instead, the six men ended up taking part in the country’s military conflict with Ukraine.
Obert Hlavati, Tonderai Maphosa, Tanaka Malcolm Gwarada and Edson Dudzayi Nyamudeza were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare magistrate Jessi Kufa, charged with human trafficking.
Prosecutor Oscar Madhume alleged that from last month, the quartet connived with one Ivan, a Russian national, to traffic six Zimbabweans to Russia.
They recruited the victims and misrepresented to them that they would work as firefighters in Russia.
Ivan recruited through social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram and Whatsapp and referred the victims to Gwarada, a local agent who is an InDrive taxi driver, to complete the recruitment process.
Gwarada would receive money through Ecocash and a Bureau De Change located at 5 Londonderry, Eastlea, Harare, amounting to US$8,167, at different intervals.
He would then pick up the victims to hotels, lodges or safe houses in Harare CBD awaiting the completion of the recruitment process.
Gwarada would allegedly hand over the money to Maphosa who would make the arrangements for food and accommodation.
Maphosa allegedly then tasked Hlavati with ensuring the men acquired travel documents and medical reports.
The State claims Gwarada then took the victims to Robert Mugabe International Airport and Nyamudedza assisted the victims with easy passage through the airport as he is an airport official.
When they arrived in Russia, they were received by Ivan who allegedly confiscated their travel documents.
The men ended up drafted into the fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.
The men alerted their relatives in Zimbabwe who then alerted the police.
The men are currently in Russia and the Department of Social Welfare is making efforts to fly them back home.
Last week, authorities received information that the quartet had recruited four other men who were supposed to travel to Russia.
Detectives picked up the information and managed to intercept the victims at Robert Mugabe International Airport leading to the quartet’s arrest.
dyton mupawaenda