A Zimbabwean couple based in Pretoria, South Africa, was allegedly kidnapped by eight men who wanted to steal US$13.9 million worth of cryptocurrency coins from them.
This was revealed in court when Moses Chademana (60) appeared before Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa on Tuesday facing two counts of kidnapping and impersonation involving the abduction of Sikhosana and his wife Sekayi Adelpha.
As reported by ZimLive, Chademana, who is known to police after once threatening to shoot the feared former CID law and order chief Crispen Makedenge in 2008, was denied bail and remanded in custody to June 23 awaiting trial.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Lancelot Mutsokoti alleged that on May 13, 2024, Chademana together with his accomplices in South Africa who included Liam Evans and another identified as Sir Peter, hatched a plan to kidnap Sikhosana and his wife in South Africa. Said Mutsokoti:
The accused and his accomplices intended to benefit from complainants’ crypto coins valued at US$13.9 million which Liam Evans had recovered after they had been hacked by unknown hackers from their account.
According to court documents, Chademana’s accomplices who claimed to be from Interpol, included five blacks and two whites.
The accused persons allegedly visited Sikhosana and quizzed him on why he was involved with Falcon Gold Digital Forensic and Crypto Recovery Services.
Sikhosana told them that he engaged the company to recover his wife’s hacked crypto coins.
It is alleged the kidnappers misrepresented to the couple that some Russians had been hired to assassinate them.
They then ordered the couple to enter their vehicle, saying they were taking them to Interpol Zimbabwe for further interviews.
The kidnappers allegedly drove the complainants from Johannesburg and crossed the Beitbridge border without going through immigration processes.
Sikhosana and his wife were handed over to Chademana at an Engen service station in Beitbridge. Said prosecutors:
They drove the complainants from Honeydew, Johannesburg, in two separate vehicles to the Beitbridge border post where the complainants were made to cross the border from South Africa to Zimbabwe without passing through the Immigration processes.
The two complainants were then handed over to Chademana who was in the company of another unidentified male adult driving in a Grey Toyota Prado with unknown registration numbers at an Engen Service Station near the Beitbridge border post.
Mutsokoti told the court that Chademana and one of his accomplices who is still at large introduced themselves as detectives from Interpol Harare and took away one of Sikhosana’s cellphones.
They then drove the couple to Harare where they booked them at a lodge while warning them against raising alarm.
It is further alleged that on May 19, 2024, Chademana’s accomplices in South Africa informed him that an official kidnapping report had been filed.
Chademana then forced Sikhosana to lie to his relatives that he had visited Zimbabwe.
The complainants allegedly took advantage of the absence of their kidnappers to notify one of their relatives about the kidnapping.
Sikhosana and his wife also sent their geographical location leading to the suspect’s arrest.
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