A MAN is on the run, after his accomplice was arrested and charged for theft under false pretence, by Montclair SAP’s Detective-W/O Vusi Mthembu on Tuesday, 13 May.
The duo, who are believed to be in their early 30s, conned a man out of R22,000, with the guise of selling him a car. They advertised a vehicle for sale on a popular online shopping classifieds website. The man showed an interest in the vehicle and made the call to purchase it.
He was told to pay a R5,000 deposit to secure the vehicle. An appointment was set up to pay the cash deposit to vehicle owner. R17,000 was soon after deposited into the woman’s bank account, after the buyer had secured a loan to pay them. After making the payment, he was told his vehicle would be delivered to him soon.
Two weeks later, the vehicle had not been delivered and calls to the would-be sellers were unsuccessful. A complaint was lodged with Montclair SAP, which led to an investigation. The bank account in which the deposit was made, was traced to the woman as she had used her real ID number. The Chatsworth woman’s residence could not be located as she is alleged to be changing addresses within the suburb.
Her employment details were located by the would-be buyer, who works at the Department of Labour.
A sting operation was set up with the help of her former employer, who agreed to call her-in to discuss her recent termination. She eagerly agreed to meet with her former employer. At the meeting, police were ready and waiting to swoop in on her and she was arrested.
The woman, who seemed remorseful confessed to the crime and said she was under financial strain. She was also linked to more cases in which the same modus operandi was used. Her partner in the con has since fled and is alleged to be in Johannesburg.
She appeared in Wentworth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 14 May. Detectives opposed bail but at the time of press, it was unclear whether or not she had been released or not.
