North West Police Arrest Fake Cop for Impersonating an Officer and Demanding Bribe to Make Docket Disappear

• A man was caught red-handed for impersonating a police officer to extort a bribe
• The accused tried to get R3 000 out of a man implicated in a theft case in exchange for making the docket disappear
• The man was arrested after North West police went undercover in a sting operation in Rustenburg

RUSTENBURG - A 47-year-old man is facing legal trouble after pretending to be a cop and trying to extort a suspect in a theft case.

The man allegedly impersonated an investigating officer in the theft case and told the suspect that he could make the theft docket disappear for R3 000, TimesLIVE reported.

The suspected was alarmed by the unusual request from an impersonator and reported the attempted extortion to the provincial anti-corruption investigating unit.

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Police nabbed North West fake cop in under-cover sting operation

A subsequent undercover operation uncovered that the fraudster was not associated with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in any official capacity, The Citizen reported.

A sting operation on Friday, 23 June, resulted in the 47-year-old's arrested in Boitekong outside Rustenburg. The man will go on trial in the Rustenburg Magistrate's Court, where he will face charges of extortion, impersonation and fraud.

Mzansi shocked after man caught impersonating a police officer

Below are some comments:

Bongani Mgubela complained:

"There are so many bogus cops now, you don't even know which ones are genuine."

Sean Doc de Lange added:

"This country is "run" by thugs, thieves & the corrupt."

Vuyokazi Vinny Sompali questioned:

"How did he know that this person was a suspect?"

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David Draghoender said:

"A thief stealing from another thief, it's a cycle."

Tshayizandla OSindisiweyo Sigege joked:

"What's wrong when you steal from a thief? that is self-made justice moss."

Fraudulent police impersonators target South Africans at their homes: authorities sound the alarm

In another story, Briefly News reported that criminals in South Africa are finding brazen ways to dupe their victims and get away with crimes.

The police and security companies are warning citizens to be aware that criminals are now posing as cops and security guards to rob unsuspecting victims.

According to The Citizen, there has been a string of crimes run by syndicates dressed in police and sometimes security guard uniform. The publication notes that an elderly woman's house was raided on Thursday, 15 June, by a gang dressed in police uniform.

Source: Briefly News