Duo appear in court over conspiracy, theft     

TWO people who reside in Kashai Ward, Bukoba District have appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Da es Salaam charged with ten counts, including conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense.

The two allegedly posed as MIC Tanzania LTD Tigo Tanzania service providers.

They are Deodatus Tarazias (24), and Anicent Kamugisha (27). They are jointly and together charged with defrauding a total of 4.6m/- through telephone lines registered in fraudulent names.

The defendants were read their charges on Wednesday by State Attorney, Ashura Mnzava before Principal Resident Magistrate Ramadhani Rugemalila.

According to the prosecution, it is alleged that the accused on diverse dates between January and March this year in an unknown location through mobile phone numbers conspired to commit offenses through illegal identification.

Mnzava claimed that on February 12, this year, at an unidentified location, the accused with malicious intent using their mobile phone identified themselves as Tigo service providers and defrauded a number of victims, including Zuhura Ally and Pili Bakari, an act they knew to be false.

The court heard that in the third charge, it is alleged that all the accused, together on diverse dates and in unknown locations, with malicious intent, identified themselves as Tigo service provider officers with malice aforethought.

She further claimed that in the fourth count, on March 10, this year, the first defendant (Deodatus) in the Lwole area of Bukoba district, with malicious intent, used telephone lines registered in the name of Benezeti Kaboyo without notifying the service provider.

Mnzava also informed the court that in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth charges, the second defendant, on an unknown date in March this year, maliciously used mobile lines registered in the names of Pudencia Mkanyiginya, Alicia Rwebangila, Monica Kahauza and Adolasta Kokusima without informing the service provider.

Additionally, the court heard that in the ninth and tenth charges, the first defendant, with malicious intent, obtained 262,500 shillings from Pili Bakari on various dates between February 10 and March 10, this year, in an undisclosed location, by misleading her that she would receive 800,000 shillings as dividends from Tigo service while he knew it was untrue.

Similarly, it was alleged that on February 12, 2023, in an unknown location in the country, with malicious intent, the accused obtained 201,225/- from Zuhura Ally by deceiving her that she would receive 1.5m/- as dividend from Tigo service when they knew it was false.

Prosecutor Mnzava claimed that the investigation of the case has been completed and asked the court to schedule another date for the defendants to read the preliminary hearings.

The accused were remanded until May 2, this year, after failing to meet bail conditions, which required them to sign a bond worth 500,000/- each and to have two legally recognized guarantors.