Moffat Mungazi
Takudzwa Manzero
Post Correspondent
IN a major breakthrough, detectives in Chipinge have arrested two elusive suspects — Patricia Muyambo Magazini and Mandras Muyambiwa — accused of perpetrating over 100 cases of fraud in which they duped unsuspecting job seekers of US$40 247 since last year.
The suspects allegedly targeted unsuspecting job hunters in Mutare, Harare, Gutu, Zaka, Beitbridge, and Rusape, with their hard-to-detect criminal activities.
The cunning duo, who posed as recruitment agents for Mashoko Mission Hospital in Bikita, were finally caught in the act, bringing relief to numerous unsuspecting citizens they had duped.
ZRP Chipinge Urban Officer-in-charge, Inspector Anos Chindanya confirmed the arrest following a series of public outcry.
“A series of reports at the station, from November 2024 to January 2025, highlighted an increase in fraud cases where perpetrators posed as agents offering assistance in securing jobs as nurses or general hands at Mashoko Mission Hospital in Bikita.
“Investigators revealed that multiple complainants’ reports listed the same contact numbers, leading to an investigation into the identities of the users.
The police obtained the suspects’ personal information, location, and communication server details through collaboration with a local service provider. By triangulating the suspects’ location using boosters, the police tracked them down to Masvingo Province, where upon arrival, encountered the hostile husband of one of the suspects, who was reluctant to cooperate. After re-contacting the service provider, the police managed to track and apprehend Patricia Muyambo Magazini in Nyika’s Duma location the following day.
Her co-accused, Mandras Muyambiwa was arrested in Zaka,” he said.
Following the arrest, over 50 complainants positively identified the accused persons, who during interviews, admitted to conning people by claiming to have connections with the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s recruitment team, offering employment as registered general nurses, drivers, and staff nurse cadre. “Magazini confessed to being unemployed, and working with Muyambiwa to commit the fraud to raise funds for a transportation services start-up. They had set aside US$26 000 for this purpose. An examination of the suspects’ belongings uncovered the SIM cards the complainants had identified as the contact numbers of their swindlers,” he said.
Acting Officer Commanding Police in Chipinge District, Superintendent Godfrey Likalawe added: “One of the complainants, despite lacking qualifications, managed to convince several church members to send money to the accused via various platforms, including Mukuru, with the promise that their names would appear in The Herald on January 19, 2025. The accused claimed technicalities would delay the publication of names until January 25, but when this didn’t happen, the complainants reported the matter to the police.
“A total of US$40 247 was defrauded from all complainants, and the arrest led to the clearance of 100 reported fraud cases. The suspects were taken to court and were remanded in custody.”
One of the victim, Ms Chipo Hlumani, of Gaza, Chipinge, recounted her experience at the hand of the accused duo.
“I lost money after a prophetess from my church was contacted by Muyambo Magazini, who claimed that she wanted to thank her for spiritual guidance by securing jobs for church members at Mashoko Mission Hospital.”
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“ I believed Magazini was a registered agent due to the names and proof of payments she provided, as well as stamped documents from the hospital. I paid US$540 out of the required US$1 400, but when my child was not called for the January intake, I approached Magazini, whose responses seemed untruthful. I reported the matter to ZRP Chipinge. After this experience, I advise job seekers to be cautious and visit company offices instead of relying on online accreditation copies without official verification,” she said.
In a similar case, Ms Memory Jambaya was duped US$300 after applying for a general hand position at Mashoko Mission Hospital.
Jambaya paid the training fee and received receipts via church acquaintances persuaded by Magazini.
However, when Ms Jambaya was not selected for the January 2025 intake, she became suspicious and demanded a refund, which Magazini refused to honour, saying she would squeeze her in the May intake.
However, she relocated from her hood, leaving the victim in limbo.
“I would like to express gratitude to ZRP Chipinge Urban for their exceptional work in maintaining high standards of policing in our community,” she said.
Superintendent Likalawe urged communities to exercise caution when interacting with strangers, particularly those met on social media platforms. “Avoid paying for unrendered services, especially to unknown individuals with anonymous accounts. While we understand the desperation that comes with job hunting, we encourage everyone to verify and authenticate job postings on WhatsApp and Facebook before making any payments,” he said.
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