A 30-YEAR-OLD man is set to appear at Upington Magistrate’s Court 1 April 2022 for fraud. The Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit in Northern Cape, Capt Tebogo Thebe said the suspect’s arrest emanates after information received from First National Bank (FNB) that one of its clients from Kwa Zulu Natal, complained that an amount of R20 000 was withdrawn from his account without his permission.
“Upington Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit took over the investigation and established that the suspect allegedly booked himself in at Upington casino hotel, where he spent approximately R80 000 on accommodation, food and drinks using details of three different bank accounts.
“The search and seizure were conducted at the hotel room of the suspect and two cell phones, bank statements and proof of payments slips were seized. The team believes that the said documents will aid the investigation going forward,” Thebe said.
Taung police are investigating a theft of a motor vehicle case. This comes after a Joy ambulance was allegedly stolen in the early hours of Sunday morning.
According to the North West police spokesperson in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati cluster, Sgt Tryphosa van Rooyen, the driver of the Joy ambulance reported that at about 2:15am on Sunday morning, he was driving between Kolong and Manthe village near Taung when he stuck without fuel.
“He allegedly locked the vehicle and went to Taung CBD to buy fuel. Upon his return to where the vehicle was stuck, he found that the white Ekhaya minibus was missing. A case of theft of motor vehicle was opened and is under investigation by the Vehicle Clearance Identification Unit (VCIU) of Klerksdorp.
“In addition, motorists should always be vigilant when using their vehicles. When you know that you will be driving for a long distance, ensure that you have sufficient fuel for the journey you are embarking on,” she said.
Van Rooyen further advises motorists not to stop in secluded areas and if there is a need, they should rather stop at a filling station or other places that are safer. She added that motorists should not drive along secluded roads, where there is no regular flow of traffic.
“We also advise motorists to always lock their doors when getting in or out of vehicles,” said van Rooyen.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, the North West police spokesperson, Lieutenant Col, Amanda Funani said the police would like to warn motorists about escalating car-hijacking incidents happening around the province.
Funani said this comes after several car-hijacking cases were reported at different police stations between 24 and 27 March 2022. She said in Ventersdorp, a man (30) was driving on the N14 road when stopped by a white VW vehicle with police blue lamps.
“According to information at our disposal, four unknown suspects wearing what appeared to be Metro Police uniform, approached the victim and forcefully took him out of his vehicle. They pointed him with a firearm and instructed him to get into their vehicle and ultimately taken to an open field, where he was put into a shack.
“The man was eventually robbed of his vehicle and an undisclosed amount of cash. In another case, a truck driver (42) who was his father driving from Gauteng to Brits, allegedly met with six unknown suspects, who robbed them of their personal belongings, cash and the truck,” she said.
Funani said the suspect then tied the victims with a rope before fleeing the scene. She said the victims managed to untie themselves and went to Brits Police Station, where they reported the matter.
“Motorists are therefore urged to be vigilant at all times, especially when they are stopping their vehicles to assist other motorists,” said Funani.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson, Lizzy Suping said they are probing an alleged rape case against two police officers. According to Suping, a woman (20) alleged that she was at her boyfriend’s place at Lorwaneng village outside Mahikeng on 30 March 2022 when an argument ensued between the two.
“The police were called in and after interviewing them, the police officers informed her that they were detaining her for malicious damage to property as she had broken the windows at her partner’s place.
“She was handcuffed and on their way to the police station, they took a detour and told her that they were taking her home. She alleges that the police stopped near the Maseru entertainment place in Mahikeng, where the police officer who was on the passenger side came to her, pushed her back and forcefully opened her mouth and made her swallow some sweet drink, which made her dizzy,” she said.
Suping further said the woman alleged that the same police officer undressed her and raped her.
“After the police officer allegedly finished, the driver also raped her, and all this was happening while she was handcuffed. The incident happened between 1am and 3am. They took her home after raping her. She was taken to hospital for medical attention by her family,” she said.
Suping said IPID is gathering evidence, so that the investigation process can continue.
Meanwhile, the police spokesperson in the North West, Brig Sabata Mokgwabone said: “The provincial police management is shocked by allegations circulating on various social media platforms. Preliminary investigation regarding the allegations revealed that at this stage, no case of rape has been registered at one of the police stations in the Greater Mahikeng.
“The alleged victim and /or her relatives are urged to come forth to lay a charge so that investigation can be instituted. Police management would like to reiterate that unbecoming conduct and criminal activities cannot be condoned in the ranks of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and those who commit crime must face the full might of the law.”
The Guardian 