MULENGA MUSONDA writes
@SunZambian
A FEMALE teacher of Dundumwezi, who entrusted her ATM card and pin number to her boyfriend, has lost over K150, 000 which she intended to use to buy a house.
This is in a case in which Kelvin Hichoongo,25 businessman of House No.301 Kalomo, Maclayon Compound stands charged with theft of K154, 800.85n the property of Masinja Chileshe, teacher of Nabulango Primary School in Dundumwezi area of Kalomo rural.
Hichoongo who was appearing before Choma Magistrates Court Principal Resident Magistrate Exnobert Zulu allegedly claimed that Chileshe gave him the money to pay for her dowry as the two were planning to get married.
Particulars of the matter are that Hichoongo allegedly withdrew the money between September 3, 2018 and January 14 this year.
When the matter came up for trial, the officer investigating the matter Detective Inspector Moonga Chizyuka testified that on June 28 he received a report of theft from Chileshe about money stolen from her Atlas Mara Bank Account through ATM withdraws and mobile bank transfers.
Acting on the report he investigated the matter and learnt that the Chileshe had applied for two loans from her bank and another financial institution called Extender Finance so she could buy a house in Choma.
“After the loan applications were done, Chileshe went back to her school but because of Airtel network problems in her remote area it was difficult to know whether the monies had been deposited into her account,
“She asked Hichoongo to be checking her account so that as soon as the account is credited he would notify her on her Zamtel line, and by doing this she handed over her ATM card and Pin to Hichoongo who was her boyfriend as of August 2018, “Inspector Chizyuka said.
Chileshe only came to realize in March 2019 that money was credited into her account after she noticed some loan deduction from one of the financial institutions.
When she visited the bank to enquire she discovered a lot of ATM withdraws on her account with one mobile transfer of K50, 000 transferred to her Boyfriends FNB account.
She also learnt that the two institutions had approved her loans of K84,000 and K67,000 respectively.
He said, Chileshe later confronted her boyfriend over the missing funds and Hichoongo admitted withdrawing part of it and buying himself Fuso light truck Registration No.ACL 401 but promised to pay back.
“I later summoned Hichoongo in connection to the offence and he admitted to being in a relationship with the complainant and said the two agreed to buy the truck” he said.
The Police through their intelligence managed to impound the truck in Lusaka after Hichoongo lied that it was in Chingola.
Inspector Chizyuka further testified that Chileshe did not even know how month ends felt like as her salaries were always in negative as a result of the deductions.
In cross examination by defence counsel Melissa Tatila from Legal Aid Board, Inspector Chizyuka denied ever knowing that Hichoongo was actually given the money by Chileshe to pay for her dowry.
The matter comes on September 5 and 6 for defence after the court found Hichoongo with a case to answer and put him on his defence.
Hichoongo’s bond was extended.
