Eight cops nabbed for corruption - Hawks

Published Aug 11, 2015

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Johannesburg - Eight police officers from the Lydenburg K9 Unit in Mpumalanga were arrested on Tuesday morning, the police’s specialised crime fighting unit, the Hawks, said.

Spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the eight face charges that include corruption, defeating the ends of justice, conspiracy to commit a crime, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and kidnapping.

“The arrest of one warrant officer, a sergeant, and six constables takes the total number of officers arrested to nine,” said Mulaudzi.

Last week officers arrested constable Elias Mokwana, 37, on charges related to the same case. Mokwana was expected to appear in the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for a bail application.

“The officers allegedly stopped a car and upon searching it they found illicit cigarettes and R510 000 cash,” said Mulaudzi.

“The officers locked the suspects in the back of the police van, drove to the industrial area where they took R50 000 from the confiscated cash and gave the rest to the owners, who refused to take the money and then later alerted the Hawks about the incident.”

Mulaudzi said it is alleged that the nine arrested officers are members of a syndicate escorting vehicles transporting illegal cigarettes in Lydenburg and surrounding areas.

He said investigations would continue and further arrests could not be ruled out.

The eight suspects, aged between 30 and 49, are expected to appear in the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Mulaudzi said it was expected that the case would be postponed to Wednesday for them to appear with their co-accused Mokwana.

During the same operation in which the officer were arrested, the Hawks also nabbed two more suspects, and took another three people in for questioning at the Sasol Complex in Lydenburg. The five were travelling in two bakkies which were full of illicit cigarettes.

“The arrested suspects, a man and his female companion, will appear before the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday,” said Mulaudzi.

ANA

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