Lentswe, Orkney - Five suspects appeared in the local magistrate’s court after allegedly stealing R290 000 from a Road Accident Fund (RAF) claim. Tehogo Kgang (31), Tebogo Chosi (32), Tlale Tshabalala (46), Lebogang Sedumedi (47) and Zamile Maroti (51) in the Orkney Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday March 5, facing charges of fraud and money laundering.
According to Lt-Col Tinyiko Mathebula, spokesperson for the Hawks, the victim of the alleged scam received over R800 000 payment from the RAF.
“In the same month, he was approached by three suspects, who claimed to be employees of RAF. The suspects allegedly informed the complainant to install a banking app on his phone so that he could access the remaining money from RAF. After installing the app, the suspects allegedly transferred an amount of R290 000 from the complainant’s account into their bank accounts,” said Mathebula.
Following an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit, a warrant of arrest was issued. The accused have appeared in court, and the case was postponed to Thursday March 7 for formal bail application.
The North West Hawks Head, Maj-Gen Patrick Mbotho, welcomed the arrests and lauded the investigative team’s efforts.
