Three suspects were remanded in custody by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court for a fraud case and will reappear in court after investigations have been concluded.
The men are said to have acted with a fourth accomplice, who is at large.
The court heard that in July, the four suspects allegedly diverted a Bryanston-based businessman’s R1.4 million bank deposit to an account in one of the accused’s names from which they allegedly drew the money in Middleburg, Mpumalanga.
It is alleged they did this after breaking into the victim’s communication system and pretending to be his financial advisers. They provided the victim with a new bank account to process his transactions.
A few days later, the victim checked on the deposit with the advisors and the man was informed that no written authorisation had been given for changing his banking details. The bank was approached, but it was too late for the bank to reverse the transaction as the money had already been withdrawn.
The accused were nabbed after being identified through the bank’s surveillance cameras.
The suspect at large is thought to be the possible mastermind.
