By Staff writer
A 21 year old Gweru man will spend the next 10 months behind bars after being found guilty of defrauding mobile money agents.
Stanford Tapiwa Marongwe, recently appeared before the Gweru Magistrate court facing three counts of fraud.
He was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment but eight months were set aside for five years.
Another 18 months were suspended on condition that he restituted the money he defrauded.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA),Marongwe committed the offenses on three separate occasions.
It is the State’s case that on September 21 this year, Marongwe approached a mobile money agent intending to make a cash out transaction of US$450.
He requested for the cashier’s phone to use as a calculator and then saved his number as +263164USD.
He then sent a please call me back message to his number and gave back the cashier their phone.
The State further alleges that Marongwe created a text message purporting to have made a cash out of US$450.
The complainant acting upon Marongwe’s misrepresentation gave him the money.
It was only discovered later in the day while the cashier was reconciling their books.
Marongwe went on to defraud two others of US$850 and US$1000 respectively using the same modus operandi.
