By BAKANG MOKOTO
Two suspects appeared at Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court separately for fraud and being in possession of a stolen vehicle on Thursday. According to police, Equal Siyakhula Zitha (19) and Kamogelo Makua (20) were arrested in Phola near Ogies in Mpumalanga on Tuesday.
North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col Amanda Funani said the arrest comes after intensive investigations over fraudulent car deals at one of the car dealerships in Klerksdorp. Funani said during the arrest, Zitha was found in possession of a Ford Ranger.
“Our intensive investigations linked Makua to five fraudulent vehicle purchase transactions including the Ford Ranger found in possession of Zitha. The other two transactions were conducted in Vereeniging and Pretoria respectively.
“It was also established that the format of the salary advice and bank statements used by the suspects were possibly linked to a syndicate operating from Phola of which several cases were registered for fraudulent transactions between November 2018 and March 2020 in Witbank, Boksburg, Lydenburg, Sandton, Burgersfort, Whiteriver and Nelspruit,” she said.
The two accused were granted an R5000 bail each and will be back in court on 7 September 2020.
In a separate incident, an inquiry docket was opened after a Toyota Avanza which Zitha’s relatives traveled in to attend court, was seized, says Funani. She added that this comes after a preliminary investigation that revealed that the vehicle was sought for recovery by Wesbank.
She said the seized vehicle was allegedly bought in Klerksdorp using the same modus operandi.
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