A 53-year-old man is accused of stealing three Toyota Fortuner SUVs from car hire companies by renting the vehicles and allegedly selling them using forged registration documents.
Blessing Mangwiro allegedly targeted three separate car hire businesses in Harare during June 2026 before detectives recovered all the vehicles.
According to prosecutors, Mangwiro first hired a white Toyota Fortuner from Zenith Car Rentals in Eastlea on June 3 after claiming he had arrived from the United Kingdom and needed transport for visiting guests. He paid US$850 for a five-day rental before allegedly producing fake vehicle registration documents and selling the SUV to a buyer for US$23,500. The vehicle, valued at US$35,000, was later recovered.
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In a second incident, Mangwiro allegedly hired another Toyota Fortuner from Drive It Car Hire on June 11. Prosecutors say he created forged identity and vehicle registration documents before selling the SUV to a Bulawayo buyer for US$32,000. The vehicle, worth US$40,000, was recovered by CID Vehicle Theft Squad detectives.
The third allegation involves a Toyota Fortuner hired from Shayne and Dad Car Hire on June 17. Prosecutors say Mangwiro again used forged documents to sell the vehicle for US$25,000. The SUV, valued at US$40,000, was also recovered.
Investigators arrested Mangwiro while he was allegedly attempting to sell another hired Toyota Fortuner.
He is facing three counts of motor vehicle theft.
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