Hawks arrest two men for impersonating lawyers of alleged diesel thieves

Two men have been arrested by the Hawks in Rustenburg for impersonating the lawyers of two people caught allegedly stealing diesel.

The two men, aged 37 and 44, were arrested on Tuesday.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso said they had attempted to bribe the police officer investigating a case against two people arrested for stealing diesel worth more than R450 000.

“One of the suspects allegedly approached the investigating officer regarding the matter involving diesel theft worth R480 000, where two suspects were arrested on 10 July 2020 at an underground pipeline site while extracting diesel and pumping it into a fuel tanker.

“The suspects claimed to be the lawyers of the arrested suspects and offered the investigator R30 000 to release both accused on bail and further release the fuel tanker that was seized at the crime scene,” said Rikhotso.

An undercover operation was set and the suspects arrived to make a down payment of R5 000.

“Both suspects were immediately arrested and are expected to make their first appearance before the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday facing a charge of corruption,” said Rikhotso.

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