Trio leaves homeseekers US$7 000 poorer

unsuspecting homeseekers that they were directors of World Habitat Housing Trust and were selling residential stands in Mainway Meadows, Waterfalls.
The trio has since been arrested.
They were yesterday brought to court to answer to charges of fraud.
Harare magistrate Ms Anita Tshuma granted the three US$100 bail each coupled with stringent conditions.
Prosecutor Mr David Magwegwe alleges that sometime in August 2010, the trio acting in connivance with Enock Chikaka, who is still at large, hatched a plan to defraud unsuspecting property seekers.
They allegedly approached the complainants at their workplaces and presented themselves as directors of World Habitat Housing Trust operating from Sanders House in Harare.
They purported that they were selling stands in Mainway Meadows at prices ranging between US$2 500 and US$5 000 each.
It is alleged that they took Johane Chamboko to Waterfalls where they showed him a piece of undeveloped land they alleged was where the stands were.
It is the State’s case that people were asked to pay US$20 as joining fee, then monthly subscriptions of US$100 each for five months.
After seven months of paying subscriptions the complainants insisted on occupying their stands but were told that the stands were now in Hatcliffe and not in Waterfalls.
The homeseekers were taken to Hatcliffe and shown another piece of undeveloped land, which the trio promised to develop but nothing materialised.
The three men later told the complainants that they had paid their subscriptions to Kugara Housing Co-operative, however, when they approached the co-operative chairman Mr Sigareta, he told them nothing had been paid.
The trio promised to make payments to the co-operative but again nothing materialised.
It is alleged they disappeared with US$7 920 and vacated from their ‘offices’, leaving the homeseekers stranded.
The matter was then reported to the police leading to the arrest of the trio.