A radio news bulletin during a business meeting in a Nando’s led to the arrest of four men who had tried to con a businessman into buying fake gems.
The businessman, who did not wish to be named, had been called to the meeting on Monday to offer his services to four Zambian businessmen.
When the men mentioned the “profitable” red stones they had come across in their country, and he then heard a news bulletin calling for anyone who had been scammed into buying fake gems to contact the police, he knew he was in the middle of a con.
“I sat there and told myself I need to get out of here. If these okes here heard the bulletin, the problems are coming up,” the businessman said.
But he realised that the police’s knowledge of the crime meant there was somewhere he could go to.
So, instead of backing out, he played along with the men, then went to the Sandton police station, reported his meeting and a sting was set up.
They met again in Rosebank at 11.30am on Wednesday.
The police had secured R100 000 for the operation.
Undercover police officers watched from a distance as the businessman met the men.
The businessman would hand over R100 000 cash stuffed into a black bag to one of the four men.
In turn, he would be handed the four stones – rough tanzanite – worth R250 000.
As soon as the exchange happened, police officers appeared from the shadows, arresting the four Zimbabweans for selling fake gems.
The rough tanzanite turned out to be nothing more than four pieces of glass covered in the melted silicone tube of a tv set.
It was the second arrest in two weeks of men selling fake gems.
Last week, Sandton police arrested three men who had tried to sell “emeralds” for R80 000. - The Star