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Codelia Mondela, Court Reporter
A SUSPECTED Bulawayo serial fraudster allegedly defrauded a city woman of $76 000 under the pretext of selling her a house in Matsheumhlophe suburb.

Abraham Khesari Ndlovu (70), who is on remand pending other fraud cases, allegedly connived with Janet Ncube alias Violet Moyo and received $76 000 from Ms Netsai Cristine Makichi for the purchase of the house but failed to honour his part of the transaction.

The two were not asked to plead to fraud charges before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Franklin Mkhwananzi who remanded them in custody to Monday.

Prosecuting, Mr Maclean Ndlovu alleged that last July, Ms Makichi responded to a WhatsApp conversation from Trade zone about an advertisement inserted by Ndlovu saying he was selling a television set and stand.

Mr Ndlovu said Ms Makichi met Ndlovu and bought the TV, stand alongside a refrigerator.

“Ndlovu then told Ms Makichi that he was selling two houses in Hillcrest and Matsheumhlophe. On October 22 last year she contacted Ndlovu enquiring whether the houses were still available and Ndlovu said the one in Matsheumhlophe had not been bought.

“The same day Ndlovu met Ms Makichi and her husband. They went to view the house where they agreed on a selling price of $85 000.

“Ndlovu suggested that he accepted assets in lieu of cash in view of the cash flow crisis and was offered an ML270 Mercedes Benz worth $10 000,” said Mr Ndlovu.

“He indicated that he was going to his farm in Matopos to collect paper work. The following day he came with Ncube alias Violet Moyo whom he introduced as his aunt and the one the property was registered under.”

The court heard that Ms Makichi gave the two her Toyota Prado after they said $6 400 was needed to change the property name to hers.

Mr Ndlovu said: “Ms Makichi further made a payment of $49 000 and an initial agreement of sale was drawn. The two then disappeared and their cell-phones were not reachable.”

@MondelaC