A South Coast motorist was recently taken for a ride – quite literally – by a man who pretended to be a police officer.
According to police reports, at around 7.30pm on Tuesday this week, a 48-year-old man was parked in Rethman Drive, Umtentweni when a white VW Polo stopped next to him.
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Police spokesman, Captain Petros Mpinge said a man exited the white vehicle, approached the motorist and requested his vehicle’s the log book.
“When the driver could not produce the document the man, who identified himself as a ‘police officer’, instructed him to move over into the passenger seat as he was to be driven to the nearest police station.
They pulled off, and the white vehicle followed.
“After driving around the Umtentweni area for a while, the man instructed the man to get out of the vehicle and go and apologise to the ‘police’ in the white car, which had stopped behind them.
“This he did, upon which the bogus policeman then drove off in the man’s vehicle, leaving him stranded,” said Capt Mpinge.
He immediately contacted the police, and officers from the Umzinto K9 unit and Umkomaas Saps intercepted the man’s vehicle on the N2 near Clansthal.
One suspect was arrested. A theft of motor vehicle case was opened at Port Shepstone and the man will also be charged with impersonating a police officer.
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