LIMPOPO – A 33-year-old man will appear before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court today (June 13) on a charge of fraud.

The man was arrested for allegedly swindling R3.7m from an ex-police colonel in 2022.

Provincial Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Matimba Maluleke said the victim, who was a police colonel in the province, was dating a foreign national who introduced her to the suspect as his uncle who masqueraded as a prophet.

“The duo (boyfriend and uncle) allegedly persuaded the victim to resign in order to start a flourishing business. The victim resigned in November 2022 and when she received her pension pay-out of R3.7m in February this year, handed it to the suspect for him to pray for a successful booming business,” his statement read.

You might also want to read: Seshego residents fail victim to job scam

Maluleke said the victim was sent on a holiday by her boyfriend but found his apartment vacated when she returned.

“The victim reached out to her boyfriend but he was unreachable. That is when she realised that she was scammed and reported the matter to the police.”

The case was handled by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Investigation Unit in Polokwane and the suspect was successfully traced and arrested at the Burgersfort Police Station where he was detained for allegedly committing a similar offence.

“The search for other outstanding suspect continues,” Maluleke said.