A couple from Mugudubi village, Chief Nhema, Zaka, has been caught in a startling instance of fraud for fabricating the death of their biological daughter in order to receive US$1,000 in funeral benefits from Ecosure Life Trading. On May 20, 2024, the couple—Rungamirai Machinjike, 27, and Talent Rutindingwe, 33—appeared before Masvingo Magistrate Elizabeth Hanzie, where they were charged with fraud and given bail.
Prosecutor Godknows Mugondo claims that the fraudulent operations of the couple occurred in November and December of 2023. Machinjike and her husband devised a scheme to trick the insurance company when she signed with Ecosure Funeral Cover and included Rutindingwe, their daughter, and her cousin as dependents. To get the US$1,000 reward, they made up the story that their daughter had passed away in November 2023.
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Machinjike forged a fake death certificate from the village headman, claiming that their daughter had died and was interred in the hamlet, to bolster their bogus claim. Subsequently, she convinced the locals to verify the assertion and presented duplicates of their national identity documents as evidence. Machinjike gave her husband the identity cards and the death confirmation letter, which he needed to fill out the Ecosure Funeral Cover claim forms. Chief Nhema
Rutindingwe submitted the claim forms, attaching the fraudulent documents and witness ID cards, thereby misrepresenting the situation to Ecosure Life Trading. However, Brighton Machisi, an employee at Ecosure, conducted preliminary investigations and discovered the fraudulent scheme.
After learning the reality, Machisi called the police and reported the incident, which resulted in the couple’s apprehension. The case, which is presently being reviewed by the courts, emphasizes the serious repercussions of insurance fraud.