Police discovered a makeshift altar and an underground cave allegedly used to deceive victims,
Picture: iStock
Four men aged between 26 and 34, accused of running a romance scam involving bogus ancestral rituals, were arrested in Gauteng after police uncovered a makeshift altar and underground cave allegedly used to deceive victims.
The group were handcuffed by the Gauteng Provincial Commercial Crime Investigation Unit on 29 May 2026.
Ancestral rituals
According to the police, the suspects, Ismair Nsubugu, George Lubuluma, Geofrey Bukenya, and Nicolas Bolodangaine, allegedly convinced a South African woman that her money could be multiplied through ancestral rituals conducted by a purported Ugandan priest.
“After becoming suspicious, the complainant alerted the police, who conducted an operation. One suspect was arrested while accompanying the complainant to Midrand to secure loans from a banking institution,” Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said.
“The suspect subsequently led police to a property in Winchester Hills, where three additional suspects were arrested.”
Makeshift altar
Sibeko said that during the operation, police discovered a makeshift altar and an underground cave allegedly used to deceive victims into believing that ancestors were communicating with them.
“The suspects appeared before the Booysens Magistrates’ Court on 01 June 2026. They remain in custody, and the case was postponed to 08 June 2026 for further investigation
“Police are also investigating possible links to other similar scam cases,” Sibeko said.
Sibeko urged anyone who may have been a victim of this scam or has information that could assist the investigation to contact Colonel Naidoo on 082 820 6174, or the Crime Stop Line on 08600 10111, or report information through the MySAPS App.
Jailed
In April, an East Rand man was sentenced to five years in prison after he was found guilty of extortion in a Bedfordview matter that involved extortion and a murder plot.
Ndumiso Bhengu appeared in the Germiston Regional Court, where the sentence was handed down.
Bhengu falsely claimed he had evidence of a plot to murder a complainant and demanded money for a recording of the crime.
Extortion
The victim, fearing for her life, paid R2 500 in cash before Bhengu vanished. The matter was reported to the Hawks’ Crime Against the State unit, which launched an intelligence‑driven operation in the Vaal, leading to Bhengu’s arrest on 28 January 2025.
