24.10.2024
20:03
A
35-year-old
woman
from
Barham
Green,
Bulawayo,
on
Tuesday,
appeared
before
regional
magistrate
Benhilda
Chiundura
on
charges
of
stealing
US$24,000
from
the
steel
manufacturing
company
where
she
works
in
the
Belmont
industrial
area
during
an
armed
robbery.
The Chronicle reported
that
the
accused
person,
Nothando
Banana,
allegedly
committed
the
crime
on
October
15,
the
same
day
that
robbers,
armed
with
pistols
and
a
garden
pick,
stole
US$32,500
in
a
violent
incident.
She
is
being
charged
with
theft
of
trust
funds.
Banana
is
being
represented
by
Bob
Siansole
of
Shenje
and
Company.
She
reportedly
attempted
to
cover
up
her
crime
by
blaming
the
robbers
for
the
missing
money.
She
was
released
on
US$100
bail
and
will
return
to
court
on
November
1.
Prosecutor
Jethro
Mada
told
the
court
that
Banana
took
advantage
of
the
robbery
to
steal
US$24,400
from
a
safe
she
was
responsible
for,
where
cash
from
salespersons
was
deposited
before
being
handed
over
to
her
superiors.
He
said
the
suspects
confronted
the
security
guards
and
workers
on
night
duty
and
ordered
them
to
lie
down
before
tying
their
hands
and
legs
with
shoelaces.
Said
Mada:
The
gang
proceeded
to
an
office
upstairs
where
they
used
a
grinder
to
cut
open
two
safes.
They
only
stole
from
one
safe
and
left
the
one
Banana
was
entrusted
with
depositing
money
from
salespersons
before
handing
it
to
the
company
authorities.
Mada
further
alleged
that
company
authorities
found
that
the
safe
Banana
was
entrusted
with,
containing
US$
27,000,
had
not
been
tampered
with
while
doing
an
inventory
of
the
losses.
He
said:
They
then
asked
for
keys
from
the
accused
person
and
unlocked
the
safe.
Upon
opening
the
safe,
they
discovered
that
out
of
US$27
000,
only
US$2
600
was
left.
Upon
interviewing
her,
she
admitted
to
having
used
the
money.
He
said
Banana
was
arrested
the
following
day
after
a
night
of
extravagant
spending
spree
in
Bulawayo.
Post
published
in:
Featured