Three men will apply for bail in the Parys Magistrate’s Court in the Free State next week Friday after they were arrested for kidnapping and fraud.
They allegedly kidnapped an administration clerk who works for the traffic department in Parys.
They took him to a location in Sasolburg where they allegedly forced him to perform transactions totalling R 8 million using his fingerprint on the traffic department’s biometric system.
Free State Hawks Spokesperson, Zweli Mohobeleli says the fraudulent transactions were for the licensing of vehicles.
Mohobeleli says it is not yet known how the suspects accessed the software.
Four cellphones and cash were seized.
#sapsHAWKS Three suspects aged 31, 35, and 46 will appear in the Parys Magistrates Court on 5 July 2024 on allegations of #kidnapping and fraud. They were arrested in Sasolburg on 3 July 2024 by members of the Hawks and Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). ML… pic.twitter.com/4z2wImpcxv
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) July 5, 2024
In another incident in the province, the Hawks arrested three Chinese nationals, including a woman, following a tip off that they reportedly used machines to clone data and manufacture sim cards at two houses at Woodland Hills in Bloemfontein.
Mohobeleli says they recovered sim cards of different service providers to an estimated value of over R 1 million, suspected cloning machines, cash, two firearms, and rounds of ammunition at the two houses.
The suspects will apply for bail in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s court on Tuesday.
