Berea SAPS arrest suspect in R230 000 fraud case

A DETECTIVE at Berea SAPS tracked down a fraudster who stole R230 000 from a man in Musgrave after posing as a property agent in 2019.

The arrest was made this month after extensive investigations.

Captain Poobalan Naidoo, spokesperson for the Berea SAPS, said the victim opened a case of fraud at Berea SAPS in 2019.

“(The victim) worked at a chain store as a general worker for 30 years and retired. The victim alleged that after he retired he was interested in buying a property and he noticed an advertisement on the internet that led him to the suspect,” explained Naidoo. 

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“He met with the suspect in Musgrave where he signed the purchase and sale agreement and the suspect promised him that once he made a deposit of R230 000 into a bank account, which she gave him, he would receive the keys for the property,” added Naidoo.

The victim soon realised something was wrong. 

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“After the deposit was made (the suspect) avoided him and stopped taking his calls. A thorough investigation was conducted by Detective Constable ML Dorasamy. By getting an order from the court and going through the bank account into which the deposit was made, it was established that the account belonged to the suspect and not a property account. The records show that the money deposited into the account was used for her personal use,” said Naidoo.

After presenting the evidence to the public prosecutor, the detective was given authority to arrest the suspect who has been detained at Durban Central cells awaiting trial.