A 40-year-old Harare dealer is facing serious charges after allegedly hacking into the bank account of Premier Tobacco Auction Floors and stealing $30,000. The suspect, identified as Munyaradzi Chauraya from the Waterfalls suburb, appeared before Harare magistrate Sheunesu Matova on fraud charges.
How the Dealer Hacked into Tobacco Auction Bank Account
According to the prosecution led by Rufaro Chonzi, the alleged crime took place in early April 2023. Chauraya reportedly conspired with unnamed accomplices to orchestrate the theft. On April 3, the group visited the Steward Bank branch located in Eastgate Mall, where they opened three separate nostro accounts using fictitious identities.
The accounts were opened under the names Tarisai Katapi, Tadiwanashe Gandiwa, and Pamela Sithole, paving the way for the fraudulent transfers.
The following day, Chauraya allegedly gained unauthorized access to the Premier Tobacco Auction Floors’ bank account. Using this access, he transferred $10,000 into each newly created account, bringing the total stolen amount to $30,000.
The fraud was quickly uncovered when authorized signatories for Premier Tobacco Auction Floors received alert notifications on their mobile phones about the suspicious transactions. The company immediately raised the alarm, prompting an investigation.
Recovery and Legal Proceedings
Authorities managed to recover $29,010 of the stolen funds. Chauraya was subsequently arrested and charged with fraud. Two of his accomplices are yet to be named and also brought to justice. However at this point, they remain unnamed in the case despite helping Chauraya to commit fraud against The Tobacco auction company.
During his court appearance, he was granted bail set at $300 with the condition that he must not interfere with State witnesses.
He is scheduled to return to court on March 6, where he will face further legal proceedings as investigations continue.-iharare
