Zhombe businessman loses US$8 000 to bogus VID officer

Midlands Bureau
A Zhombe businessman lost US$8 000 to a bogus VID officer who claimed to be in charge of disposing vehicles forfeited to the State.
Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko said the police are investigating a series of fraud cases involving the suspect who is only identified as Mageza.
Inspector Mahoko said cases involving Mageza go back to July 2024.
In one of the cases, Mageza duped Honest Mahleka, a businessman based at Joel Business Centre in Zhombe.
“The suspect convinced Mahleka that he was disposing a Toyota Hiace and a Nissan AD Van at a cost of $8 500,” he said.
Inspector Mahoko said the complainant was instructed to deposit the money into various EcoCash accounts.
“Soon after the transactions were made, the suspect was no longer reachable. We are appealing for information that may assist in the investigation,” he said.
Inspector Mahoko urged members of the public to do thorough background checks before making any payments.