RABECCA BANDA writes
A DRUG Enforcement Commission (DEC) security officer yesterday told the Lusaka Magistrates Court how he and his colleagues pounced on two Chinese nationals suspected to have stolen K17,500 using unauthorized ATM cards.
This in a case in which Lee Hong Shieng,29 and Wong Jin Chen,30, both of Lusaka are accused of using illegal ATM cards to steal money from unsuspecting account holders.
They were appearing before Principal Magistrate Mwaka Mikalile.
Witness Francis Phiri,44 of Lusaka West said on June 8 he received information from the drug enforce intelligence commission headquarters on the reported activities of Lee and Wong.
“I reported to the office and I was informed that some foreign Chinese nationals are dealing are using suspected bad ATM cards to steal money. I and my three colleagues went to the suspected house in Olympia area around 14:00 hours,
“When we arrived, I produced a search and seizure warrant. We entered the house and found four Chinese nationals, two males and two females. We started searching the sitting room where we came across a laptop connected to a card reader and a cordless mouse,” he said.
“We proceeded to the Shieng’s bedroom and searched. There I found two bags on the bed and when we opened them
we found 17 ATM cards and a passport with the name Lee Hong Shieng,” he said.
Phiri said when they opened another small bag they found 13 ATM cards and passport size photos.
“I also found two card readers, an Oppo phone and two point of sale materials that were shown to Shieng and seized,
“We also found seven ATM cards in a handbag in the same bed room. Later we went to another bedroom belonging to another Chinese nationals where we found four ATM cards under the name of Chen and I also seized assorted receipts,” he said.
He said during the whole search, they seized about 24 ATM cards. And later took the four suspects to the police where they were detained.
Another witness Haggai Kaluba, 32, a Zanaco bank merchant and coordinator of Kabwata Site and Service said on July 4 officers from DEC visited their offices inquiring information pertaining to point of sell machines of Jin Jia Investments limited.
Kaluba said the officers wanted to verify if the machines found with the suspects were issued to them by Zanaco.
“I checked the machine and saw that it belonged to Zanaco and was issued to be used at a trading place in Chimwemwe area of Kitwe,” he said.
The matter comes up on September,13 for continued hearing.
