Hackers cloned a 54-year-old pensioneer’s SIM card and used it to access his bank accounts. The incident left him without a significant portion of his retirement savings. The details of the scam emerged at the Harare Magistrates Court on Thursday.
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Large Sums Transferred to Various Accounts
Between December 21 and December 23, 2023, the hackers transferred ZWL50,000,000 to a company called Bluelight Logistics, another ZWL50,000,000 to Wembly Investments, and ZWL30,000,000 to the bank account of one Sibusiso Nleya. Additional funds were moved to various CBZ bank accounts, totaling ZWL172,349,999 and US$733.
Chisina only discovered the theft on December 23 after obtaining a replacement SIM card. Upon restoring his phone service, he received a flood of notifications about the unauthorized transactions. Shocked and devastated, he realized his hard-earned retirement savings had been drained.
Investigation Leads to Arrests
The police investigation linked the fraudulent transfer to Bluelight Logistics back to Oswald Nyika, a 35-year-old man from Seke. Nyika managed to evade authorities for several weeks before his arrest on February 11, 2025, following a tip-off regarding his whereabouts. Under questioning, Nyika implicated two women—47-year-old Miriam Matiyenga from Chitungwiza and 45-year-old Chipo Moyana from South Chishawasha—as accomplices in the scheme.
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Court Proceedings and Bail
The three suspects appeared before Harare regional magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa. They were each granted bail of US$300 and are expected to return to court on March 26, 2025, as the case continues to unfold
