The Midrand Police Station task team has made a number of arrests in connection with fraud cases on 13 and 14 February.
Station spokesperson Sergeant Matome Tlamela said there were two busts carried out surrounding suspects using fraudulent documentation in the sale of a car.
In one incident, which occurred in Midridge Park, the suspect was trying to purchase a Volkswagen GTI Polo and handed over proof of payment, salary payslip and a copy of ID. The seller became suspicious of the documentation and went to the Department of Home Affairs to verify the documents which were confirmed to be fraudulent.
Tlamela said that the seller opened a case of fraud at the Midrand Police Station. They worked with the police to trap the suspect by organising to meet the suspect at a local shopping mall. The suspect came to the mall with a file containing copies of the fraudulent documents and was arrested by police. The suspect confessed to working with his brother who stays in Mabopane. The investigation is ongoing.
In another case regarding a fraudulent vehicle purchase, three suspects were arrested when they attempted to sell a vehicle with a false registration number that did not correspond with the engine and chassis number.
Tlamela said the victim expected to receive a Toyota Etios but was given papers for a Toyota bakkie. The victim had already paid R45 000 with an outstanding balance of R5 000. When the victim realised that the sale was fraudulent, he immediately went to the station and opened a case.
The victim, with the help from the police, set up a trap at a local garage in Midrand CBD where the suspects were supposed to collect the outstanding balance for the vehicle. The suspect arrived with another man in a Ford Bantam. Tlamela said, “He came [to the meeting] with the papers for the Toyota Etios but not the one he sold to the complainant. The suspects were arrested for fraud.”
The suspects told the police that they were not working alone and gave them information about a suspect from Hammanskraal. The police made their way to the address given and found the third suspect and the Toyota Etios. Tlamela added that when the police checked the plates, they discovered that it was stolen and linked to a case in Wierdabrug. The suspects were charged with fraud and possession of a stolen vehicle.
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