A 73-YEAR-OLD man has appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts for allegedly threatening a married couple with disappearance, before forcing the pair to surrender a house and a motor vehicle.
Ackim Hunda allegedly kidnapped Marufu Chipindoro and Patricia Kuzomba and forced them to give up their properties.
Hunda was not asked to plead to the allegations, when he appeared before the court yesterday and will be back in the dock on August 18.
It is alleged that on December 14 last year, Hunda together with others who are already on remand went to Tafara 1 High School and kidnapped Chipondoro at gunpoint and took him to Zanu PF headquarters.
When they got into Hunda’s office, Chipindoro was threatened with disappearance and unspecified action, with the alleged abductors claiming his wife would also disappear, if he failed to submit to their wishes.
Hunda and his accomplices allegedly demanded Kuzomba to pay back US$60 000 and US$21 500, which had been invested by Allen Dzobo and Evidence Fatah respectively in a ponzi scheme, KWD, where the woman worked as a cashier.
The gang reportedly demanded Kuzomba to pay back the money, because she was the one who was receiving the money at KWD offices in Borrowdale.
Allegations are that as a result of the pressure, the complainants were forced to sign agreements of sale for several properties including a residential property into Dzobo’s name for US$60 000 yet the actual value of the property was US$93 000.
They were also forced to surrender a Toyota Hilux for US$21 500 into Fatah’s name.
The two were released after the agreements of sale were done at a law firm in Harare and they lost property worth US$120 000.
The State alleged that the complainants were further threatened with disappearance if the matter was made public.
A report was eventually made on June 7 this year leading to arrests.