KZN man convicted after lying about hijacking

A KwaZulu-Natal man who lied about being a victim of hijacking has been convicted of opening a false case, police said on Friday.

Thabo Donono Mkhuphuki, 25, was sentenced to a fine of R1,000 in the Ramsgate Magistrate’s Court after he pleaded guilty to the crime.

“The sentence is welcomed by detectives and serves as a warning to those who open false cases and waste valuable police resources in the process,” police spokesperson Colonel Thulani Zwane said.

Zwane said Mkhuphuki reported the hijacking to the Margate Police Station on September 28.

“He alleged he picked up a hitchhiker who hijacked [him] afterwards. Detectives probing the case were not convinced with his story and he later admitted that he was not hijacked after being confronted with their suspicions by detectives.”

Zwane said a case of defeating the ends of justice was opened against him and he was charged accordingly.

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