Bulawayo police hunt suspect after home seekers lose US$83,750 in stand scam
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Zimbabwean police are hunting a 40-year-old Bulawayo man accused of defrauding six home seekers of US$83,750 and R143,000 in a residential stand scam dating back to 2017.
Police in Bulawayo are looking for 40-year-old Elias Mutendi of Sizinda over a residential stand scam in which six home seekers lost a combined US$83,750 and R143,000, iHarare reported, citing ZimLive.
Investigators allege Mutendi targeted people looking for residential properties and presented himself as a middleman who could facilitate stand purchases, marketing residential stands that belonged to other property owners. The owners were allegedly unaware that their properties were being offered to buyers, and the buyers paid for stands Mutendi had no authority to sell.
The scheme is said to have run for several years, from 2017 until December 2024. Police have opened investigations and are trying to establish his whereabouts.
ZimLive reported that Mutendi had previously been arrested after information led officers to Unity Village in Bulawayo's city centre. That investigation involved allegations that seven people were defrauded of more than US$47,000 and R143,000.
The case highlights the risks facing home seekers in Zimbabwe's residential stand market, where buyers often rely on intermediaries to secure plots that may not be legally available for sale.