Tanaka Chigwagwana has been convicted by the Harare Magistrates’ Court on five counts of fraud after duping clients of thousands of dollars in a fake vehicle importation scheme.
Chigwagwana had promised to import Japanese vehicles for his customers but never delivered them.
The vehicles included a Toyota Corolla Fielder valued at US$6,330, a Nissan NV350 worth US$6,919, a Nissan AD Van for US$3,800, a Honda Shuttle for US$7,600, and a Toyota Vitz for US$3,300.
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He collected initial payments from his victims before demanding additional money for customs duty and port charges, claiming that some vehicles were stuck at ports such as Dar es Salaam.
Chigwagwana later lied about customs delays and failed to deliver any of the vehicles.
Detectives from the CID Vehicle Theft Squad traced one of the promised vehicles and discovered it had been registered in the name of a third party.
Chigwagwana was found guilty and sentenced, with the court warning the public to be cautious when dealing with unregistered or suspicious car dealers.
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