14-year conviction for fraud thrills Linden detective
Linden police detective sergeant Makgatsane Ramoshaba has cracked the 2022 fraud case and advises residents to report crime.
Due to the hard work and dedication of Linden police sergeant Makgatsane Ramoshaba, Ovuma Bilal received a 14-year prison sentence for fraud.
In 2022, Bilal sold a VW Polo car to the complainant, who cannot be named. A payment of R15 000 was made and the papers were exchanged, but, according to Ramoshaba, when the complainant went to renew the license disc, he discovered that the car did not belong to Bilal. The vehicle was still owned by Westbank. It was on arrears to the point where it should’ve been repossessed, which it was, later, from the complainant.
Read more: Insurance fraud on the rise, says Douglasdale CPF
Bilal could not pay back the complainant’s money, so a case of fraud was opened at the Linden Police Station and assigned to Ramoshaba, who is part of the Linden Detectives Economic group
Ramoshaba explained that Bilal gave the complainant fraudulent papers. During her investigation, she also discovered that Congolese citizen Bilal’s asylum and passport were fraudulent. “He told the court that he came to study, and that he was a student at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). I requested his student number and found that it belongs to a female student at TUT.”
The detective joined the force 2008 after training at Tshwane SAPS Academy. She worked at Linden Client Service Centre, before moving to the detective unit, where she was sent to equip herself with more skills at Hammanskraal. In 2019, she was promoted from the rank of constable to sergeant.
Ramoshaba worked very hard, gathering information, interviewing witnesses, and investigating different cases, before managing to crack the 2022 fraud case, resulting in 14 years of imprisonment for Bilal.
Bilal was arrested, and sentenced, in the following counts:
- Count 1: Fraud – the accused is sentenced to 6 years imprisonment,
- Count 2: Uttering a forged document – the accused is sentenced to 4 years imprisonment,
- Count 3: Possession of a passport not lawfully his – the accused is sentenced to 2 years imprisonment, and
- Count 4: Contravention of section 49(1) immigration – the accused is sentenced to 2 years imprisonment.
Ramoshaba urged the Linden community to feel free and to report any criminal activities. “As the police, we take every case seriously and we are always willing to work with the community to fight crime.”
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