Fake ‘SAPS colonel’ walks into police station asking for a ride — and leaves in handcuffs
North West police say vigilance by officers led to the arrest of an alleged impersonator who claimed to be a SAPS Colonel based in Pretoria.
Image: SAPS
A 52-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior police officer has been remanded in custody after appearing in the Bloemhof Magistrate’s Court this week.
Sinki Lukas Msiba appeared on 19 November and was ordered to remain behind bars pending further investigation. He is expected back in court on 8 December.
According to North West police, Msiba arrived at the Bloemhof police station on the night of 18 November, claiming to be a colonel based in Pretoria. He allegedly told officers that his vehicle had broken down in Warrenton and asked to be transported to Bultfontein.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said officers at the station became suspicious and conducted preliminary checks, which revealed that Msiba was not a member of the South African Police Service. He was arrested on the spot.
"The vigilant members questioned Msiba, conducted a preliminary investigation and eventually established that the accused was not a police officer. He was immediately placed under arrest," said Mokgwabone.
Acting provincial police commissioner Major General Ryno Naidoo commended the officers for their vigilance, noting that police stations have increasingly been targeted by impersonators seeking access to sensitive information.
Naidoo said the arrest should send a clear message that police will act decisively against anyone attempting to abuse state resources.
“A male suspect was arrested for impersonating a police officer, extortion, and kidnapping. The arrest comes after the crime prevention team, alongside Crime Prevention Wardens, spotted a suspicious vehicle in the early hours of 12 May 2024 along Lillian Ngoyi Street,” said Constable Thabang Nkhumise, spokesperson for the SAPS Pretoria Central.
While the police officers were conducting a stop and search on the vehicle, occupied by three men, Nkhumise said the alert police officers soon realised that two of the men were being held against their will.
He said that while police officers were questioning the vehicle occupants, they realised that two of the men were foreign nationals, who revealed that they were kept in the car against their will.
“They were being extorted by the driver,” said Nkhumise.
“According to the statement given, the two were heading to Brits and the driver offered them a lift. Along the trip, he deviated and drove with them to Pretoria, claiming that he was a police officer. He then demanded an amount of R9,000 for their release.”
Police said the kidnapped men were forced to call their families, requesting them to send some money.
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