Nkomo’s firm defrauded

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A MAN from Pumula South was on Friday locked up in remand prison for allegedly defrauding the late Vice-President John Landa Nkomo’s company

A MAN from Pumula South was on Friday locked up in remand prison for allegedly defrauding the late Vice-President John Landa Nkomo’s company Astra Building Centre of more than $1 300 through forging receipts purporting to have bought more asbestos sheets than he had paid for.

REPORT BY SILAS NKALA.

Antony Magutso Mizha (22) was not asked to plead to fraud and forgery charges when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Takundwa Witness Mtetwa. The magistrate remanded him in custody to July 12 for trial.

The court heard that on June 22 Mizha bought a 1×3,6 metre asbestos sheet and was issued a receipt at Astra Building Centre situated at number 106 Hebert Chitepo Street in Bulawayo.

Instead of going to Astra Building Centre Warehouse to collect the asbestos sheet he went to an unknown place where he allegedly scanned the receipt and changed digits so as to make the figure read as 41x 3,6m instead of 1×3,6m.

Mizha allegedly went back to Astra Building centre warehouse with the manipulated receipt which he produced in order to collect his purported 41 asbestos sheets.

He was given 19 sheets of asbestos and made arrangements with an attendant there that he would collect the remaining 22 at a later date.

Mizha allegedly took the asbestos sheets to a site identified only as Nasta situated at number 57, 3rd Avenue, where he sold the asbestos sheets to the shop owner Oliver Ncube.

The attendants at Astra Building later discovered the anomaly and a report was made to the police.

Investigations led to Mizha’s arrest. It was discovered that through forgery and fraud the company had been prejudiced of $1 340 and the asbestos sheets worth $1 257 were recovered.

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