By Staff Reporter
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has confirmed the arrest of a couple in connection with a job placement scam that defrauded 46 victims of approximately USD 134 552.00.
Gwendoline Ndlovu (35) and Melusi Ndlovu (36) were arrested in Bulawayo after a report was made by one of the complainants.
According to Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the suspects posed as agents of an undisclosed company that facilitated job placements in Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland.
They promised their victims employment opportunities abroad, which they claimed could be secured within three weeks upon payment of US$ 4000.
The suspects then conducted interviews through WhatsApp and gave excuses to the victims upon the lapse of the waiting period.
The victims fell for the scam, and the suspects defrauded them of their hard-earned money. The fraud reportedly occurred between August 2022 and 03 May 2023.
Police investigations revealed that the suspects had duped 46 victims before they were finally arrested.
Melusi Ndlovu was arrested while loading property in a vehicle, preparing to vacate from their known offices, while Gwendoline Ndlovu was later arrested at Bulawayo Police Station, where she had visited her husband. The couple has been charged with 46 counts of fraud and will be arraigned in court soon.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi has urged members of the public to exercise due diligence before making any payments to individuals and employment agencies purporting to facilitate job placements abroad.
He advised the public to verify the authenticity of any job offer before making any payments or committing themselves to any agreements.
