Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Two men from Harare have been accused of defrauding student nurses by promising them job placements at a government hospital in exchange for money. Effort Chirandata and Martha Chitumba appeared in court facing fraud charges, NewsDay reported. Chirandata was granted a US$100 bail, while Chitumba was remanded in custody.
What happened?
The prosecution alleges that the two suspects deceived the student nurses and collected payments from them. According to State prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi, the duo deceived student nurses who wanted to join Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in January 2023.
Chirandata claimed he knew someone who could help the nurses to get employment quickly. He then directed the nurses to Chitumba, who claimed to have connections to secure employment for them.
The accused asked the student nurses to pay different amounts of money to secure jobs. Then, on January 6, 2024, Chirandata sent a message through a WhatsApp group telling the student nurses to go to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital and collect their employment offer letters from Chitumba.
However, when the complainants went to the hospital on January 8, they couldn’t find Chitumba anywhere. The State papers suggest that Chitumba started avoiding them, which made the student nurses suspicious. As a result, they reported the incident to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused individuals.
This case serves as a reminder to be cautious when dealing with people who promise job opportunities. It is important to verify the legitimacy of such offers and not to make any payments without proper verification. If something seems suspicious or too good to be true, it’s advisable to report it to the authorities to prevent others from falling victim to similar scams.
This case is not an isolated incident, as similar frauds have occurred in the past. Some individuals seeking employment have been scammed into paying for overseas jobs that never materialised. In some cases, people were even sold into slavery after being promised well-paying jobs in countries like Oman and South Africa.
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