MBOMBELA – Two Bulgarian immigrants accused of numerous fraud charges in the Lowveld appeared in the >Middleburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Mr Platen Venew Stanchev (38) and Mr George Penchorf Genew (51) were arrested in the Highveld in February and have been incarcerated since. While they were in prison, police have linked them to eight incidents of fraud in the Lowveld.
According to Hawks spokesman Lt Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, the men were arrested on February 21 after an SAPS ATM fraud task team collaborated with bank investigators to probe allegations of hi-tech skimming devices being implanted at ATMs in Middelburg and Witbank’s malls. They tracked down Stanchev and Genew, who had skimming devices in their possession. The two appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on February 23. They were denied bail on February 29 and their case is still ongoing.
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According to Sekgotodi, the accused have already been charged with eight counts of fraud in the province’s capital. It was placed on record that they’ve planted cameras and cloning apparatus into various shopping centres’ ATMs. They had allegedly drawn money from the accounts of unsuspecting South Africans from within and without the borders of South Africa.
Specialist state advocate Ms Ansie Venter has been conducting the cases against the accused in both the Nelspruit and Middleburg Courts. They will appear again in court on May 13.
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