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Chido Nyamuyaruka-Court Correspondent
The Harare man who allegedly duped a flour buyer of US$14 750 in March 2021 was finally caught when his victim bumped into him near Harare Railway Station on Monday.
Isaac Mafa (42) appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Mr Dennis Mangosi who remanded him out of custody on $50 000 bail to May 10.
The court heard that in March 2021 Cladious Mutavirwa wanted to buy flour from Blue Ribbon Foods and engaged Matreal World Pvt Ltd, a customer of Blue Ribbon, to do the purchase on his behalf.
Mr Mutavirwa was told to transfer the equivalent in local currency of US$14 750 into the CBZ account of Matreal World. He sent a message to a WhatsApp group looking for someone with the local currency ready to do a deal.
He was contacted by Tinashe Kaseke who said he had the required local currency in his account.
Mr Mutavirwa went to Eastgate Mall, Harare to meet Kaseke, who is still at large, and Mafa and the two boarded his car. Mr Mutavirwa gave the details of the Matreal World account to Mafa, who then pretended to do a mobile transfer and sent what purported to be proof of payment.
Seeing this, Mutavirwa then handed over the US$14 750 to Mafa and Kaseke.
Mafa then disembarked in disguise saying he wanted to get something from his own vehicle which he said he had parked underground at Eastgate Mall but he never returned and his mobile phone was no longer reachable.
All parking at Eastgate Mall is above the ground floor, with none underground. Kaseke then followed but also never returned.
The were at large until Mr Mutavirwa bumped into Mafa on Monday and managed to get him arrested near the Railway Station along Kenneth Kaunda Avenue in Harare.
Online Reporter