Pretoria - A man has been arrested in Limpopo after attempting to defraud the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), Sampo Maaboyi, acting provincial spokesperson for the SA Police Service’s elite unit, the Hawks, said on Friday.
“An intelligence-driven operation has led to the arrest of Munshi Muhammad, 41, for plotting to defraud Sassa,” said Maaboyi.
"On Monday, (Hawks) serious corruption investigation members received information from Tzaneen crime intelligence that the suspect had approached a post office official in Mokwakwaila village and requested him to provide 250 Sassa cards in exchange for a R10 00 gratification.”
A trap was set and Muhammad fell for it.
“An undercover operation was conducted the same day and Munshi Muhammad was arrested after he offered R10 000 to a post office investigator. An amount of R10 000 and 250 Sassa cards were seized,” said Maaboyi.
Muhammad appeared before the Bolobedu district court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody. He is set to return to court next week for a formal bail application.
Earlier this week, in an unrelated incident, SAPS detectives in Johannesburg Central arrested eight suspects for fraud, after several people complained that they had been conned in a jobs scam.
Johannesburg Central police station spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said the victims had allegedly paid money upon promises of getting work.
“Detectives arrested eight suspects between the ages of 21 and 25 for fraud at Ilpa House (situated on the) corner of Commissioner and Von Wielligh streets (in the Johannesburg CBD) on Wednesday the 10th of June 2020 at 10am,” said Mbele.
“It is alleged that suspects defrauded several numbers of people, promising jobs. Victims paid an amount of R450 each to get employed. They were promised office work and cleaning jobs.”
Mbele said investigations were continuing and the suspects would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court soon.
“We are appealing to the community to refrain from paying out money to get jobs,” said Mbele.