Law abiding citizen thwarts bank fraud syndicate
A honest bank teller at a Durban North bank turned down five hundred thousand rand, and helped authorities arrest a syndicate.
A SUCCESSFUL sting operation led to the arrest of six members of a bank fraud syndicate on Tuesday afternoon. The arrest was made possible when a bank teller alerted the authorities to the planned crime.
Members of the Durban North SAPS and the Hawks and Crime Intelligence unit swooped on the suspects when they attempted to access a dormant account, containing more that R8 million, at a bank on Swapo Road (Broadway) in Durban North. The account reportedly belongs to a Pretoria doctor.
According to Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, the group, which includes five men and a woman, leaned about the account through an informant within the bank. The informant has yet to be arrested.
The arrest came after they attempted to bribe a bank teller. The syndicate had asked the woman to help them access the dormant account, and in turn would pay her half a million rand.
Instead of accepting the bribe she reported the group and their planned criminal activities to the internal bank investigators, who in turn contacted the Hawks. “We conducted our own investigation and operation. Through the co-operative bank teller we were able to arrest the syndicate when they attempted to access the account,” Mulaudzi told the Northglen News this afternoon.
Today the group appeared at the Durban Commercial Crimes Court and is set to re-appear on 3 June. They are currently being detained at the Durban North SAPS.
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