Man arrested for allegedly printing, selling fraudulent essential service permits

A 41-year-old man from Diepkloof in Soweto was arrested during a sting operation on Wednesday morning for allegedly printing fraudulent essential service permits.

According to a statement by the Gauteng Department of Community Safety, Gauteng Traffic Police and Crime Intelligence units caught the suspect allegedly printing essential service and motor vehicle licencing documents.

He is expected to appear in the Orlando Magistrate’s Court on charges of fraud and the contravention of national lockdown regulations.

“We commend our law enforcement agencies for the swift arrest of this [alleged] fraudster who is robbing our people of their hard-earned money in exchange for the fraudulent documents.

“Sadly, this is a serious contravention of the Covid-19 national lockdown regulations,” Community Safety MEC Ofentse Morwane said.

The department also appealed to members of the public to refrain from purchasing and using fraudulent documents in an attempt to circumvent the movement restrictions imposed by the lockdown regulations.

“It is important that members of the public must stay home during the lockdown period. The brazen act of the suspect, which saw him even advertising his fraudulent activities on his house’s gate, cannot go unpunished,” Morwane said.

“Nobody is allowed to produce permits except authorised state institutions and organisations. Anyone found in possession of fraudulent documents during this lockdown period and beyond will face the full might of the law.”

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