A 39-year-old man has been apprehended for reportedly making a false police report regarding a robbery involving US$287,000 in cash and a vehicle in Mutoko.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest and mentioned that investigations are ongoing.
On December 11, 2024, at approximately 10 AM, Khumbulani Sibanda visited the ZRP Mutoko, claiming he was robbed around 8 AM in the Harare central business district. He alleged that four armed men, driving a Ford Ranger double cab with an unknown registration, stole US$287,000 and an unregistered Toyota Allion from him. According to Sibanda, the robbers later abandoned him in Mutoko after the incident.
Sibanda claimed that on December 4, 2024, he had engaged a security company to transport US$2.3 million in cash from Matabeleland South to Harare for safekeeping, intending to purchase residential and commercial properties in the capital. He purportedly took the money from the security firm’s vault to make down payments for properties in Melfort and Goodhope.
Following his report, detectives from CID Mutoko launched an investigation, visiting the location where he alleged he was abandoned, but found no evidence to support his claims. They coordinated with CID Homicide Harare during their inquiries. Investigators discovered that Sibanda had visited multiple branches of the Fawcett security firm in different towns over the past month, inquiring about cash-in-transit services.
Further investigation revealed that Sibanda had fabricated claims about having mining operations in Filabusi, Matabeleland South. Officials from the security company Safeguard denied any association with him, stating he was not their client.
Between December 4 and 11, Sibanda had approached various property owners in Melfort, Goodhope, Mainway Meadows, Norton, Ardbennie, and Blue Ridge along Mutoko Road, promising to buy their properties. Some property owners even accompanied him to lawyers to initiate sale processes.
Police also spoke with his girlfriend, Agnes Mandiyenga, 23, who reported that she had known Sibanda since November 2024 and they had been living together in a garage along Willowvale Road. During that period, he provided her with just US$20 for their household needs.
Ultimately, Sibanda confessed that he had never been robbed, did not own any mines or vehicles, and had fabricated the entire story to gain sympathy from others, particularly businesspeople, in hopes of receiving financial assistance.
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