Three Harare men were last Friday arrested for allegedly swindling a local firm, Omni Africa of $200 000 using fake orders in the name of mining giant Marange Diamonds.
The three are alleged to have pounced on a second company, whose details were not made clear in court papers, where they almost got away with over $300 000, but the deal was thwarted by an alert complainant.
Blessing Bumhira (34), Dickson Savanhu (40) and Tendai Makuvatsine (31) were yesterday denied bail when they appeared before provincial magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabini charged with fraud.
They were remanded in custody to May 2. Prosecutor David Magwegwe presented that on April 4 this year, the trio allegedly hatched a plan to defraud businesspeople in Harare with fake purchase orders.
One such order was purported to have originated from Marange Diamonds for the purchase of 20 submersible pumps at a value of $599 000.
The State also alleges Savanhu, Makuvatsine and Bumhira forged another proforma invoice purportedly to have originated from a South African company Crossover, with a purchase value of ZAR1 311 000, for 10 pumps.
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Armed with the alleged fake documents, Savanhu and Bumhira approached Omni Africa in Hillside, Harare where they misrepresented that they had a lucrative deal to supply Marange Diamonds with pumps.