Tinaye Agere
Prosper Dembedza
TOP eye specialist Dr Solomon Guramatunhu lost US$583 660 in a cryptocurrency scam involving a business associate, the court heard yesterday.
The accused, Melissa Messe Samantha Chiyangwa, appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Marehwanazvo Gofa facing charges of theft and unauthorised use of passwords.
She was remanded in custody to today for bail consideration.
According to court papers, in 2020 Dr Guramatunhu, a renowned ophthalmologist, bought cryptocurrency from a United Kingdom-based company while in India.
Upon his return to Zimbabwe, he enlisted the help of Lloyd Chiyangwa, the accused’s husband, to assist in setting up five digital wallets – Trust Wallet, Exodus, Cosmostation, Wemix and Metamask.
It is alleged that between October 31, 2021 and January 7, 2024, Melissa Chiyangwa, acting in connivance with her husband, unlawfully accessed Dr Guramatunhu’s Metamask wallet and transferred tokens worth US$583 660.24 to a platform known as Waybit Exchange.
The alleged theft came to light on January 27, 2024, when Dr Guramatunhu attempted to move his tokens to another wallet and discovered the funds were missing.
Investigations revealed that the accused used several electronic devices – including an iPhone 14, iPhone 12 Pro, Linux U, Macintosh and an Android phone – to execute the transactions.
Authorities believe she is still transferring tokens to undisclosed destinations using communication devices that are yet to be recovered
Online Reporter