The Hawks bust four prisoners for running an extortion scam while conducting a joint operation at the Odi and Baviaaspoort Correctional Centres in Mabopane and Pretoria.
THE DIRECTORATE for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) bust four prisoners for running an extortion scam while conducting a joint operation at the Odi and Baviaaspoort Correctional Centres in Mabopane and Pretoria.
The operation, which took place earlier this week, was supported by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team in Gauteng and Emergency Support Team (EST) from the Gauteng Department of Correctional Services (DCS).
According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase, the operation was aimed at conducting a cybercrime search and seizure as well as executing warrants of arrest to four convicted inmates on an array of charges, which included extortion, impersonating a police officer, money laundering, forgery and uttering.
“This follows an in-depth investigation into corrupt police officers allegedly extorting money from several male victims who had sought the service of a clandestine online escort agency.
“The victims would later be informed by someone purporting to be a police officer that a case of rape and fraud was opened against them as they used fake money to pay the sex workers.
“They would also present a fake warrant of arrest through WhatsApp and demand payment to ensure that the police, along with the prosecutor, make the cases disappear.
“The Hawks investigation revealed that a syndicate of inmates with cellphones allegedly created profiles of police officers using the combination of both their names and photos taken from social media profiles of unsuspecting police officers.
“They further sourced a call log from an online base escort agency continuously to contact the victims who paid them in fear of prosecution.
“Over the period between May and August 2022, the total amounts of R760,000 and R560,000 had been paid into two separate accounts provided to the victims to deposit the money,” Nkwalase said.
During the search, the team found multiple smartphones on each of the four suspects. This was immediately seized for further investigation.
A total of 36 cellphones and 19 chargers, along with other accessories, were also found from other inmates in the same cells and were seized by DCS EST.
The four inmates, aged between 26 and 32, are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The police said more arrests are imminent.
The provincial head of the Hawks, General Ebrahim Kadwa, commended the team for the meticulous investigation.
He further warned those using the services of sex workers and willing to pay the police to evade arrest will face corruption charges if they do not co-operate with the police investigation.
Anyone who may have fallen prey to this extortion scam is encouraged to come forward and contact Captain Jacques Loock on 082 778 5626.
