Twenty-four people have been formally charged following yesterday’s (Tuesday) raid on an alleged illegal holiday sales call centre in uMhlanga, and are expected to appear in court later this week.

The arrests stem from a months-long crime intelligence investigation, which culminated in a joint operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) eThekwini District, Metro Police Special Operations Directorate and the SAPS Tactical Response Team (TRT) at a rental property on Hilken Drive.

The business, operating under the name Emerald Sun, allegedly defrauded clients by posing as a legitimate holiday booking company.

Related story: Police raid alleged illegal call centre in uMhlanga, several arrested

According to Durban North SAPS spokesperson, Nonhlanhla Shozi, 24 of the 26 individuals initially taken in have now been charged.

“Five of those charged are foreign nationals, while the remainder are South African, including the alleged kingpins. Of the 24, 14 are women and 10 are men,” said Shozi.

She added that investigators seized several items during the raid, including computers, cellphones, hard drives and USB storage devices, which are expected to form part of the evidence in the case.

The owners of the alleged bogus company were also taken into custody during the operation, and a luxury vehicle was confiscated at the scene.

The accused are expected to appear in court later this week on fraud-related charges, as investigations continue.

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