VANDERBIJLPARK – A man masquerading as a housing lawyer has been sentenced to 60 years imprisonment for defrauding innocent home buyers in the Vaal.
Pule Piet Louis was sentenced in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court after being found guilty on six counts of fraud.
Louis robbed his victims of about R 1 269 400 pretending to mediate housing purchases and transferring of title deeds processes.
According to detectives from Vanderbijlpark SAPS who worked tirelessly to bring the 43-year-old man to book, Louis was arrested following a tip-off of his whereabouts.
Investigations started in 2021 after scamming his victim in 2020.
Speaking to Ster South Sergeant Jabulani Radebe, Oscar Magampa, Tumane Motseki, and Willy Mathibela took turns to share how their determined efforts made the conviction a possibility.
Sergeant Magampa said: “The initiation of this case came into my hands when a victim of the suspect opened a fraud case in 2021. Upon my investigation, I learned that the said person was not registered as a lawyer or an attorney.”
“The suspect would take money from home buyers and meditating the processes of purchase, then he would later transfer the documents to the buyer. The suspect, using the same modus operandi, would disappear as soon as money is transferred into his account,” Magampa explained.
Following the first case, another victim opened a similar case implicating the same suspect.
Days after investigating the matter, another detective, Sergeant Motseki received a tip-off on the whereabouts of Louis, which resulted in his arrest.
“We went to the said address in Protea Glen where we apprehended the suspect,” Motseki explained.
Giving their reaction to the successful prosecution, the proud officers said they were happy to put Louis away.
Motseki said: “The arm of the law is very long. These cases happened in 2020 but our efforts and dedication reaped good rewards. We are very happy on the outcome of the court.”
Sergeant Radebe who investigated two dockets of fraud against Louis involving a woman being scammed for a house in Savanna City and another for a plot in De Deur, said: “It took hard work and a lot of pressure from victims. Seeing the community finally getting their well-deserved justice, leaves us satisfied.”
Magampa said: “We worked day and night to prep for the docket when going to court. We hope that the suspect learnt his lesson for scamming innocent individuals.”
