Croco Motors forecourt supervisor Gutsikai Mudowaya (39) appeared before Harare magistrate Isheunesu Matova yesterday, accused of stealing 6 000 litres of fuel from the company.
Prosecutor Mr Rufaro Chonzi outlined the digital deception.
Mudowaya, entrusted with reconciling daily fuel sales, allegedly manipulated transaction records across Croco Motors' Pinnacle DMS and FileMaker Redan systems in December last year. By stealthily under-reporting sales, he reportedly masked the disappearance of 2 934 litres of diesel and 3,019 litres of blended petrol-- a combined 5,952 litres valued at US$8 985.
The scheme was unravelled in January 2025, when a routine audit exposed glaring inconsistencies in December's data. Croco Motors' representative, Ms Tariro Mtemachani, revealed that forensic scrutiny traced the discrepancies directly to Mudowaya's digital footprint, with system logs implicating him.
"This was not a mere oversight, but a calculated act to defraud," Mr Chonzi asserted, noting the company's total loss -- equivalent to nearly US$9 000 -- remains unrecovered.
Magistrate Matova granted Mudowaya conditional freedom on US$50 bail, ordering him to return to court on March 6 as investigations continue.
