A local company that supplies explosives and electrical goods was defrauded of US$102,000 by a commodity broker who hacked its bank account and transferred the money to various accomplices.
The broker, Tapiwa Zawanda(45), was arrested and appeared in court yesterday facing charges of fraud and money laundering. He was denied bail by Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa.
The company, Northern Explosives, is represented by its director Mr Newton King, who reported the cybercrime to the police.
According to the prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti, Zawanda and his partner in crime “Cliff”, who is on the run, accessed the company’s nostro account without permission and initiated several bank transfers between 6 June and 8 June this year.
Zawanda sent US$50 000 to his own First Capital Bank account, and then moved US$40 000 to Strauss Logistics Ecobank account, which belonged to Lisa Maria Mutuke.
He then collected the cash from Mutuke and shared it with his co-conspirators, including those who received the remaining US$12 024.
The police managed to recover US$40 000 from Mutuke, but the rest of the money is still missing.
