Durban - An accountant in the Department of Labour in Pretoria is in hot water for allegedly pretending to be a police officer and extorting money from a man over a rape claim.
The 49-year-old woman was arrested this week and appeared in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court on corruption charges.
The Hawks said the woman was arrested during a sting operation after they received a complaint from a man.
“It is alleged the complainant engaged with an alleged sex-worker in Gqeberha in February 2022.
“Soon after the incident in February 2022, the complainant received numerous calls from an individual claiming to be a detective from Durban investigating his case of rape and fraud,” said Hawks spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela.
“The person said she could ruin his life as he would spend the rest of his life incarcerated as he had a warrant of arrest for him.
“It is further alleged that an amount of R390 500.00 was successfully extorted from the victim which was reportedly deposited into the suspect’s bank account.”
The man decided to report the matter to Hawks for investigation.
“During the interaction with the Investigating officer, the suspect who has been proved to be a State Accountant from the Department of Labour in Pretoria is reported to have offered to pay an amount of R50 000 to have the docket destroyed.”
Mgolodela said the investigating officer pretended to play along.
“The agreement was on an initial payment of R30 000 which the suspect allegedly agreed to fly to Gqeberha to pay. The remaining R20 000 balance was to be paid at a later stage.”
The suspect was arrested at the Gqeberha airport while handing over R30 000 to the investigating officer on April 13.
She is expected to make her first appearance in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s Court soon.
IOL