Police impersonator targeting senior citizens nabbed
A woman is spending Heritage Day behind bars after an off-duty police officer nabbed her for impersonating a police official in her quest to rob senior citizens of their money. It was also discovered that the suspect has a hanging case of fraud which was opened in April.
ON Monday (September 23), Constable Adiel Sheik from Berea Crime Prevention was reportedly off duty and driving on Stephen Dlamini Road, Essenwood, Berea, where he noticed a wanted suspect.
“The suspect is wanted for cases of fraud and for impersonation of a police official,” said Berea Communications Officer Captain Poobalan Naidoo.
Also read: 6 tips to avoid falling victim to impersonators
He further said, “Constable Sheik spotted her (the suspect) wearing a SAPS field dress cap and a golfer shirt, which raised his suspicion. He then called members of the Crime Prevention Unit for back-up and approached her. He produced his appointment card to show the suspect that he was a police official and asked her to do the same as she was dressed as one.
“She could not follow through with the request. He then asked her to state her persal number which she could not. When back-up arrived, she admitted that she was not a police official and was pretending to be one to defraud senior citizens of their money.”
The suspect was arrested and transported to Berea SAPS. Investigation is underway.
Items recovered were an SAPS golfer shirt, an SAPS field dress cap, a blank docket cover, an exhibit bag, a blank affidavit with an SAPS CSC date stamped on it and a cellphone.
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