KEY POINTS
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Police officer allegedly demanded R2,000 for stolen items’ return.
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Victim claims officer’s details matched a Northern Cape police ID.
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Gauteng SAPS confirms investigation into the house robbery case.
A Johannesburg man says he was astonished when a police officer wanted money to help recover things stolen during a crime.
Joseph Mohoaduba of Mondeor, south of Johannesburg, said he later discovered the caller was a police officer based in Kuruman, Northern Cape.
Victim alleges police officer solicited bribe for stolen goods return
After reporting the house invasion to Mondeor police, Mohoaduba questioned how a Northern Cape officer obtained his case details.
Mohoaduba expressed concern about how information from the docket ended up in the wrong hands and stated, “We think the police are involved.”
In March, two armed guys broke into his house and stole his family of belongings while holding them at gunpoint.
“They stole everything, including my son’s music equipment, and pointed guns at him in his cottage before escaping in his car,” he claimed.
After driving his son off in the stolen vehicle, the criminals finally dropped him off at Naturena, which is south of Johannesburg.
Later that same day, Mohoaduba filed a case at the Mondeor police station, giving local authorities all the pertinent information.
Someone posing as Capt. Mahube called him the following day to inform him that five suspects had been taken into custody.
According to Timeslive, after the suspects were apprehended, they found the stolen car and belongings near Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria.
Mohoaduba remarked, “He told me I had to e-wallet R2,000 for a clearance certificate and to bring the car back to Mondeor.”
Mohoaduba did not utilize mobile payments or banking apps, so he provided R10,000 in cash for a face-to-face transaction.
“After I objected to the e-wallet request, he deleted our WhatsApp messages and threatened to fire me if I made a direct deposit.”
Mohoaduba found a shared document on his smartphone that contained the identity documents of a police officer and his own police testimony.
When he presented the police with that evidence, they informed him that four other persons had reported scams with the same police identity.
Gauteng SAPS confirms investigation into alleged extortion incident
While acknowledging that Gauteng SAPS is looking into the house robbery, Brig. Brenda Muridili denied knowing of any Mahube-related officers.
In a written statement, she declared, “SAPS will never call complainants and demand payment to retrieve their stolen property.”
Col. Cherelle Ehlers of the Northern Cape declined to confirm Mahube’s employment status, stating that interprovincial discussion is prohibited by SAPS practice.
She stated that internal investigations or disciplinary actions remain confidential, but claims of misbehavior will be handled in Gauteng.
