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Crime Reporter
A MAJOR e-passport scam involving four Cameroonians who obtained birth certificates in Mt Darwin before acquiring national identity cards and e-passports from the registry offices in Harare, has been unearthed.
Investigations by police and the Civil Registry Department revealed that the Cameroonians paid US$1 500 each to obtain the e-passports which they sought to use to travel to South Africa, through Beitbridge Border Post where they were arrested.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said Marvel Ngeyi, Emile Mayamuya, Christiana Bayombe and Tveete Kum were arrested at Beitbridge Border Post this month after they were found in possession of Zimbabwean civil documents under local names but were unable to speak any local language.
The Beitbridge Immigration officials then informed the Registrar General’s officials who carried out investigations which revealed that the birth certificates were issued at the Mt Darwin Civil Registry on September 4 by Tawanda Waniwa (45) of Mupfure Heights. He has since been arrested.
He issued a birth certificate to Marvel Ngeyi with the name Marvel Chimbwanda, Tveete Kum with the name Yvtte Maini, Emile Mayamuya with the name Emile Chingwaru and Christiana Bayombe with the name Christiana Mhereyenyoka.
Armed with the documents, the four Cameroonians went to Market Square in Harare where they lied that they had lost their waiting pass National Identity documents and were issued with duplicates which were endorsed “lost waiting pass copy”.
They then approached the passport offices on September 17 and acquired Zimbabwean e-passports which they tendered to immigration officials intending to cross into South Africa.
The four were arrested for fraud at Beitbridge Border Post after being found in possession of Zimbabwean passports bearing local names but could not speak any local language.
The names on the passports were Emile Chingwaru of Matare Village under Chief Magonde in Mount Darwin, Christiana Mhereyenyoka of Arcadia Village in Mount Darwin, Yvette Maini of New Pfura in Mount Darwin and Marvel Chimbwanda of Mount Darwin.
While the four paid US$170 each for an ordinary e-passport which normally takes seven working days to be processed, their passports were processed within two days and the suspects collected them on September 19.
Police are however, in the process of verifying how the four Cameroon nationals entered the country and also if they have any valid Cameroonian travel documents allowing them entry.
Meanwhile, police have also arrested eight other officials of the Registrar General’s Department in Harare for criminal abuse of office after they assisted the four Cameroonians by processing the national identity cards and e-passports.
They are Romeo Shonhiwa (44) of Eastview Phase 2 in Harare, Marrian Roman (40) of Glaudina Park, Lackmore Chinokokora (34) of Eastview Phase 4, Grace Kapungu (35) of Glen View 1, Chiedza Hlomani (34) of Marlbereign, Maureen Natasha Munemo (32) of Glen View 1, Tanaka Magaya (28) of Sunningdale 3, and Edith Moto (38), of Ruwa.
Police have also questioned two general hands identified as Neria Sombi and Trymore Chipanga, who are employed by a local company and deployed to work at the passport office.
They were questioned by the police after they were seen on CCTV assisting the Cameroonians during the passport application process.
Online Reporter