VANDERBIJLPARK. – Members of the National Investigation Unit (NINU) arrested five men in the early hours of Friday, August 4, in connection with a scam on prepaid electricity.
According to SA Today the investigation team, following up on intelligence, went to Vanderbijlpark, Evaton and Boipatong where they identified and searched several houses. The first two residences were visited in Vanderbijlpark where Eskom CDU equipment (equipment used to generate electricity vouchers) were seized.
The equipment included computer keyboards, printers with printing paper, compu-ter screens, central processing units, external hard drives, Eskom modems and other computer accessories.
At one of the houses in Evaton an unlicensed firearm was seized. The 9mm Norinco pistol, with serial number filed off, had six live rounds in the magazine.
Additional ammunition belonging to various firearms, including AK 47 rounds, were also seized along with the unlicensed firearm.
The firearm will be sent for ballistic tes-ting to check if it can be linked to other crimes committed in the Vaal area.
It is estimated that the potential loss to Eskom and the country as a result of this fraud could be in the billions.
