CAPE TOWN - A Cape Town man has been arrested for allegedly opening a false police report that he was hijacked, shoved into the boot of his car and robbed.
Police spokesperson Frederick Van Wyk said a case of hijacking, kidnapping and theft was opened at the Pinelands police station after being transferred from Stellenbosch on April 1.
“The complainant stated that on March 29, at about 8.15am, he was driving on the off-ramp on Jakes Gerwel Drive and Gunners Circle, Epping, when he experienced a mechanical breakdown. He was apparently overpowered by three men whilst inspecting the vehicle. He was assaulted and shoved in the boot of his vehicle. They drove off with the vehicle while he was in the boot.
“Later, he noticed that the vehicle was no longer moving. He then shouted for help and an unknown male opened the boot. The complainant noticed that he was in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch,” Van Wyk said.
The man said he had checked the car and noted that the suspects had stolen his wallet with his driver’s licence card, the spare wheel of the vehicle, one Lenovo laptop and one grey Acer laptop.
He then drove to the Stellenbosch police station to open a criminal case.
“The case was investigated by Pinelands detectives. As a result of thorough investigation by the investigating officer, it was discovered that the complainant was lying. He falsely opened the case,” Van Wyk said.
“The suspect, previously the complainant, was arrested on April 8 for defeating the ends of justice."
He made his first appearance at the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
“The South African Police Service wants to issue a warning to the public to refrain from reporting false cases as this constitutes a crime. All reported incidents will be investigated thoroughly, and false claims are usually detected during this process,” Van Wyk said.
Cape Times