POLOKWANE: Bogus police captain nabbed for ‘selling jobs’ out on bail
It is alleged the accused had posed as an official from the South African Police Services (SAPS) Provincial Human Resources Department in Polokwane and scammed several job seekers of thousands of rands.
POLOKWANE – A 28-year-old man who was arrested on charges of fraud and corruption after ‘selling jobs’, was granted bail of R1 000 by the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 24 February.
The man was arrested on Friday, 12 February at Lethuli Park in Seshego after he reportedly conned several job seekers of thousands of rand while posing as a police official attached to the Provincial Human Resource Management office in the city in 2019.
In an earlier statement, Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe explained that the suspect would contact the unsuspecting victims who had applied for a job within the South African Police Service (SAPS), and instruct them to deposit a certain amount of money into various accounts for ‘medical reports’. “He thereafter, instructed them to take the receipt to the recruitment office as proof of payment. The victims then learned that they were scammed. Cases of fraud were immediately opened and an intelligence-driven joint operation was activated.”
Ngoepe added that the accused may still be linked to similar cases as investigations continue and urged victims of such scams to contact Lt Col Richard Boshomane at 079 894 5501 or contact the police via the MySAPSApp.
The man is expected to reappear on 30 April.
Police in the province earlier warned that
At the time, Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Genl Nneke Ledwaba Ledwaba welcomed the arrest and warned the public that the police will not request or demand cash for any reason during the recruitment process or investigations. “Police recruitment forms are not for sale and our posts are advertised on different media platforms with clear specifications.”
He further urged residents to report these type of tendencies to the police..
