MASVINGO – A syndicate of tricksters who con the public by dropping rolls of money and asking their targets to accompany them into a bush to share the spoils where they strip the victims of whatever they have was nabbed by Police in Masvingo on Tuesday.
The Mirror attended the court case of the four conmen notoriously referred to as chadonha.
Titus Manjengwa (42), Brian Mufuni (31), Memory Dziva (32) and Tawanda Chinyama (37) appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Grace Tupiri and Blessing Madongorere prosecuted.
The Mirror learnt that the syndicate duped Tendai Ben (28 and her cousin Energy Mapasure from Mushandike Resettlement in Masvingo on Tuesday.
They face four counts of faking identity, theft and kidnapping.
The complainants were walking along Robert Mugabe Street near Civic Centre in Masvingo at 12pm when Dziva dropped a roll of money in front of them.
Manjengwa picked the money and flashed it to the complainants and urged them to keep quiet. He then asked the complainants to accompany him so that they share the money at a secluded place and they went together with Dziva out of the CBD to bush behind TelOne complex along a railway line.
While they were there, Mufuni and Chinyama suddenly appeared and ordered them to stop where they were and they introduced themselves as CID detectives after flashing fake IDs.
They told the four that they were under arrest for a theft case reported in the CBD and ordered them to take out everything on them. They took US$1 000 from Ben and asked Mapasure to go and withdraw the money at Mukuru.
The court in the presence of The Mirror heard that the bogus tried to convince them not to tell anyone about them.
Mapasure rushed to report the matter at Masvingo Central Police station. On the same day around 130pm Masvingo CID arrested the culprits at SPCA soccer ground after a tip off. The accused persons tried to escape but were apprehended.
The accused were found in possession of two stolen cellphones (Vivo and Itel) whose owners are yet to be located.
The case continues today.
The Mirror has learnt that the culprits operate as a syndicate from different locations.
Manjengwa is from 1885 Makoni Road in Chiredzi, Mutafuni is from Muradza Village Chief Chimombe in Gutu, Dziva from Cowdry Park in Bulawayo and Chinyama from 1120 Mbizo 4 in Kwekwe. – Mirror
