Conmen dupe driver of $2 500

News
A DRIVER employed by Cooland SPAR in Cowdray Park was tricked into surrendering $2 570 of the company’s money he had been given to purchase goods for the supermarket in Bulawayo central business district by some con artists last week on Thursday.

A DRIVER employed by Cooland SPAR in Cowdray Park was tricked into surrendering $2 570 of the company’s money he had been given to purchase goods for the supermarket in Bulawayo central business district by some con artists last week on Thursday.

STAFF REPORTER

Dingulwazi Gwizi (35) of Nkulumane 12 allowed his love for money to blur his faculties when the conmen convinced him to surrender the $2 570 to them while he delivered an unknown liquid substance on their behalf.

The conmen promised to pay Gwizi

$16 200 upon delivery. Gwizi appeared before West Commonage magistrate Willard Maphios Moyo yesterday facing a charge of deliberately supplying false information to the police after he reported that he had been robbed of his employer’s money. Gwizi pleaded guilty to the charge and Moyo sentenced him to one month in jail with an option of a $50 fine.

Prosecutor Tatenda Dakwa told the court that on March 13 at around 12.30pm, Gwizi was driving a company vehicle along Boston Road in Emakhandeni when he was stopped by an unknown man and woman.

The two allegedly lured him into a bogus deal involving an unknown powder and liquid substance.

Under the fake deal, Gwizi was asked to surrender all the money he had on him to the two fraudsters for a $16 200 payment upon delivery of an unknown liquid to someone a few metres away from them.

Gwizi surrendered the company’s $2 570 to the two and as he was taking the substance to the person the fraudsters had directed him to, the person ran away and disappeared into Emakhandeni suburb.

When Gwizi turned back intending to retrieve the money, the two fraudsters ran away and disappeared into the suburb leaving him dumbfounded in possession of the unknown liquid substance in a small bottle.

Gwizi filed a false report at Luveve Police Station alleging that he had been robbed of $2 570 and a docket was opened.

On March 14, Gwizi was thoroughly interviewed by the Criminal Investigations Department Homicide unit where it was discovered that he had voluntarily handed the money to the fraudsters hoping to get a reward after the deal.