A 46-year-old man has been arrested for defrauding the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
Bantu Hoho was handcuffed by the Gqeberha based Serious Corruption Investigation team of the Hawks on Tuesday.
False accident report
Police spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgolodela said the suspect lied about the details of an accident.
“It is alleged that on 5 February 2017, the suspect reported a hit and run accident by a vehicle while riding his motorcycle. A claim to the value of R1.3 million was reportedly submitted at RAF by the attorneys as instructed by the accused.“
“The claim was processed and before a payment was made, an internal investigation was conducted where it was established that there was no other vehicle involved in the accident besides the motorcycle,” Mgolodela said.
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Mgolodela said a case of fraud was reported to the Hawks for criminal investigation.
“Hoho appeared before the magistrate at the New Law Court in Gqeberha and the case was postponed to 3 March 2023, for Regional Court date. The accused was released on warning,” she said.
Cloned police bakkie
Meanwhile, two people were arrested for cloning a South African Police Services (Saps) vehicle.
Members of Ekurhuleni District Crime Intelligence, Trio Task Team, Tembisa Tracing Team and Highway Patrol Unit acted on a tip-off regarding a suspicious marked Saps bakkie in the Rabie Ridge area.
Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said officers acted on the information and discovered the cloned vehicle.
“Information was followed whereby a Mazda BT50 resembling Saps Provincial Head Office vehicle was intercepted while driving out of a plot in Midrand, Modderfontein Road.”
“The driver managed to flee the scene, but he was pursued and apprehended. Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was stolen in Bedfordview in December 2022. It is believed that the vehicle was being used to commit truck hijackings,” Masondo said.
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