A man allegedly bailed out of police custody fraudulently with the aid of a policeman and magistrate has been rearrested.
Jaco Opperman, rearrested on Friday, 26 January, evaded capture for months following his release from Pretoria police station.
Police said they were led to his Potchefstroom hideout, where he lived with a woman he allegedly met on Facebook, by a community tip-off.
He had assumed the false name of Herman Calitz.
Opperman was “aided and abetted by a magistrate and a warrant officer” to illegally qualify for bail of R500, according to Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
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“He was rearrested after a long search by the Modimolle police,” said Mojapelo.
Modimolle detectives originally arrested him in Witbank, Mpumalanga in August last year for allegedly defrauding several people.
He allegedly “sold” buffaloes that didn’t exist for up to R60 000 each in a scam.
“A case of escaping from lawful custody has been opened against Opperman. We have also opened cases against the magistrate and the officer,” he said.
The investigations continue.
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