Durban - The Hawks in the Eastern Cape are searching for a woman who allegedly swindled a man out of thousands of rand after she claimed to be his girlfriend.
Spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said their provincial Kidnapping Task Team was searching for the woman and her real boyfriend, who allegedly hatched up a plan to fleece the man out of his payout in 2020.
Mgolodela said in June, two years ago, the man received a payout from the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
"The Tsolo man received a call from the woman claiming that she was his long-time girlfriend. She said she wanted to meet him urgently. The man then invited her to Maclear and paid for her travel costs as he was excited to meet his long-time girlfriend," Mgolodela said.
She said when the woman arrived, she was accompanied by a group of six people.
"Astonished as he was, he conformed to the expectations of the purported girlfriend and spent over R8 000 on transportation, entertainment and clothing. After the spending spree, the victim was left all by himself," Mgolodela said.
A case was opened, and two people, Andile Ngane Petu (54) and Zanele Gcwabe (42), have since been arrested.
The Hawks said the bogus girlfriend and her real boyfriend were still at large.
"The suspects are alleged to be in the Western Cape Province. Police believe that the person in the attached picture can assist in solving the case," Mgolodela said.
Anyone with information about the case or the person in the picture should urgently contact the investigating officer, Sergeant Adams, on 071 735 2291. The public should remain assured that information brought forward will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
IOL