LIMPOPO – A daring fraud attempt turned deadly at Foskor Mine on Friday morning, May 16, after an alleged scammer’s bold plan to trick his victim for the second time ended in tragedy.

The alleged 32-year-old fraudster from Lulekani had returned to the site of his crime with an alleged fraudulent tender for laboratory services targeting the same individual he had previously attempted to defraud earlier this month. However, this time, his plan went wrong.

According to provincial police spokesperson, Col Malesela Ledwaba, the incident occurred at around 08:45, when three Limpopo-based detectives, joined by a colleague from Gauteng, arrived at Foskor Mine as part of an ongoing investigation into a fraud case originally opened in the Thohoyandou policing area earlier this month.

Officers approached the suspect, dressed in a contractor’s uniform and claimed to have contract documents related to the bogus tender. However, upon noticing the police presence, Seerane bolted, fleeing the scene on foot.

As he tried to scale a high-security fence on the mine premises, the officers reportedly fired a warning shot. Preliminary reports suggest that when Seerane failed to get over the fence, he turned back and allegedly attempted to grab one of the officer’s service firearms.

A struggle ensued, during which the firearm discharged, striking Seerane.

He was declared dead at the scene.

A crime scene investigation was undertaken at the Foskor Mine’s main gate, and two firearms linked to the incident were recovered by investigators.

Police have opened an inquest, and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has been notified to carry out an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.