A 52-year-old Detective Warrant Officer from the Polokwane Crime Intelligence Unit has been arrested for allegedly submitting fraudulent petrol claims.
According to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the State Security Agency (SSA) grew suspicious after detecting irregularities in petrol claims submitted by the officer.
"The matter came to light when a report was received from the State Security Agency (SSA) concerning suspicious petrol claims submitted by the suspect. Upon reviewing the claims, it was noted that all attached petrol slips were photocopies, prompting immediate concern."
Ledwaba added that as soon as the matter was brought to the police’s attention, an investigation was launched immediately, and the officer was summoned to appear in court.
"A case docket was registered, and the Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit took over the investigation. Once it was concluded, the suspect was formally served with a summons to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on April 23," Ledwaba added.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Major General Samuel Manala, has strongly condemned the incident and reaffirmed the SAPS’s commitment to taking decisive action against any form of corruption or misconduct within its ranks.
In recent months, there has been a surge in arrests of police officers implicated in criminal activities. IOL previously reported on the arrest of a Gauteng police station commander who allegedly seized goods worth R165 000 without following legal procedures.
Colonel Logan Govender, station commander of Norwood Police Station, was arrested last month by the Gauteng Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit. He faces charges of theft, fraud, and defeating the ends of justice.
The incident that led to Govender's arrest dates back to 21 August 2020, when he allegedly coordinated a bogus operation involving the confiscation of stock from a shop.
According to police, Govender had approached the shop owner accompanied by a civilian named Oelof Abraham Du Plooy, who posed as an expert in illicit cigarettes from the Adams and Adams company.
The duo claimed to have received a tip-off from the Crime Intelligence unit regarding the sale of illicit substances at the establishment.
After his arrest, he appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, which granted him bail set at R3 000.
The case has been remanded to May 29, 2025.
The Star
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