A 29-year-old Bulawayo man who swindled a city woman of $2 850 after misrepresenting to her he was a gold merchant has appeared in court facing fraud charges.
Collen Goma, however, denied the charge when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ndumo Masuku who nonetheless remanded him in custody to August 1 for continuation of trial.
The State alleges that on July 8, Goma met the complainant Patricia Nyamoyo (34) of Burnside in Bulawayo and offered to assist her buy the precious mineral.
Goma later called his alleged accomplice, Clement Zulu, who is reportedly on the run, advising him he had secured a potential gold buyer.
Goma and Nyamoyo travelled together to Mbalabala. On arrival, Goma allegedly connived with Zulu to sell fake gold weighing 153 grammes to Nyamoyo. Nyamoyo allegedly paid $2 850 to the pair and travelled back to Bulawayo.
Nyamoyo later discovered that the duo had sold her fake gold and she reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of Goma.
