Four cops attached to the Barberton Police Station are in hot water after allegedly stealing R1.6m from an alleged zama zama paymaster yesterday.

The officers, three men and one woman, raided a house belonging to a man believed to be a paymaster for some zama zamas. They searched the house and allegedly found R1.8m in a wardrobe.

As the alleged paymaster was not at home, the cops arrested his son instead and took him to the police station. They locked the arrested man up and disappeared with the money, without charging him or booking the confiscated money into the station as is standard procedure.

“They disappeared for five hours,” says the Hawks’ provincial spokesperson, Captain Dineo Sekgotodi.

The detained son opened a case of theft against the four police officials.

Crime intelligence was summoned and on their arrival, they called the four cops in to return to the station.

“On their return, the officers only produced an amount of R200 000, which they alleged had been found at the paymaster’s house,” says Sekgotodi.

The four cops were arrested and detained at the Nelspruit Police Station for theft and defeating the ends of justice.

They were due to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court this morning.