33-year-old arrested, appears in court for making false claims in carjacking case

A 33-year-old man appeared in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town on Monday after he was implicated in the false reporting of a carjacking case.

The man was arrested last Friday on charges of perjury and defeating the ends of justice.

According to police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk, the 33-year old reported the carjacking incident in Wynberg and claimed he was robbed of his Range Rover Evoque worth R1.1 million on 8 July this year.

Van Wyk said three suspects were arrested after the vehicle was recovered on 10 October in Delft and a possession of a stolen vehicle case was opened.

“After thorough interrogation the suspects pointed out three more suspects from whom they got the vehicle. Six suspects in total were arrested.”

The case against the first three suspects was withdrawn during an appearance in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court while the other three accused were still under investigation, according to Van Wyk.

He further said after an investigation was conducted, with video footage, photos and cellphone records collected, it was revealed that the 33-year-old complainant falsely reported the incident.

The case against the man was postponed to 1 December 2020.

“All cases will be centralised at the Wynberg Regional court,” Van Wyk said.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has warned the public to refrain from reporting false cases as it constitutes a crime.

“All reported incidents will be investigated thoroughly and false claims are usually detected during this process.”

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