A BINDURA man, who defrauded some vendors of over US$30 000 using fake proof of payments in botched foreign currency exchange deals, was last week jailed six years for the offence committed between February and March 2021.
Collin Rutendo Chairuka (35) would pose as someone in need of United States (US) dollars in exchange for Zimbabwe dollars and upon reaching an agreement, he would lure the complainants into meeting his co-accused Brenda Pangidzwa and Mayhem Chiyangwa, who are both still at large.
Through his lawyer Raynos Gumbo of Gumbo and Associates, Chairuka denied the charge when he appeared before Bindura magistrate Shingi Mutiro facing five counts of fraud committed between February 8 and March 2, 2021.
Prosecutor Carson Kundiona told the court that Chairuka would lure the complaints through his WhatsApp account soliciting for United States dollars in exchange for the local unit.
On count one and two, Chairuka and his co accused deceived one Samuel Charles Tsvangirai using a fake proof of payment that they had deposited $538 000 which was equivalent to US$4 100 into Bakers Inn Bakeries’ CBZ account number.
They used the same modus operandi to defraud an airtime vendor Hamunyari Musarapasi of US10 000 after misrepresenting that they had deposited the local currency equivalence into a NetOne account.
They also defrauded Luck Kapiya of US$12 000 after they deceived him that they had deposited the Zimdollar equivalence into a Zimra bank account.
The fifth victim Samkhani Manda was defrauded of US$1 900.
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In passing the sentence, magistrate Mutiro said the offence was aggravated by the fact that there was evidence of premeditation and careful planning with “high level of sophistry employed in the commission of the offence.”
Chairuka had 12 months of his six-year jail term suspended on condition of good behaviour.
Six months were also set aside on condition that Chairuka pays US$3 333 and US$1 700 restitution to Musarap
