Johannesburg – Three Gauteng police officers have appeared in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg on charges of corruption, kidnapping and the negligent handling of a firearm.
Warrant Officer Charles Mgiba, 50, Sergeant Obed Machevele, 36, and Sergeant Clement Langutelani Mashele, 34, allegedly demanded about R144 000 to have a fraud case dropped, Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said.
The case was postponed to Tuesday for a bail application. The officers remain in custody pending further investigations.
’’It is alleged that the accused arrived at a private dwelling in Midrand (on Tuesday) and demanded an amount of US$10 000 for the complainants not to be arrested on alleged fraudulent activities reported.
’’The trio allegedly seized laptops and cellphones and forced the complainants into a vehicle. They allegedly drove to a fuel station in Sandton, where they released one of the complainants to go get the demanded money,’’ Mulamu said.
After the incident was reported to the Hawks, the three police officers were arrested while allegedly collecting the money.
Electronic gadgets, firearms and ammunition were seized for further investigation. The negligent use of a firearm charge pertains to one of the police officers allegedly leaving his service pistol, ammunition and handcuffs in a carry bag.
"Together with the public, we can help fight the scourge of corrupt criminal activities in our country. We urge the public to report any police officials alleged to have been involved in criminal activities to authorities,’’ said Gauteng Hawks head Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa.
’’This serves as an example to all criminals out there that the public is tired of being scammed by people who are meant to protect them.’’
IOL