SAPS Officers Arrested for Running Extortion Syndicate Targeting Undocumented Foreign Nationals

• The South African Police Service arrested two police officers for kidnapping, extortion, and fraud charges
• The officers were arrested in Tshwane on 3 June 2025 and were accused of operating a syndicate targeting undocumented officials
• One of the officers was arrested in Marshalltown in Johannesburg, and the other officer was arrested in Tshwane

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

TSHWANE — Two members of the South African police service were arrested in Gauteng on 3 June 2025 and are facing charges of fraud, extortion, and corruption. The two have been accused of operating a syndicate targeting undocumented foreign nationals.

2 SAPS officers arrested

According to SABC News, one of the officers was arrested after an incident that took place in Laudium. The victim was approached by seven male officers and a female police officer. They transported her to the Laudium police station, where they detained her and questioned her status in the country.

They told her that she was not supposed to be in the country without proper documentation. They detained her for being undocumented. However, she had an undisclosed amount of money and a cellphone when she was taken to the police station, and they were not returned to her. The items were also not registered in the police station's records.

The following day, she was taken to the airport and told to go back to her country. The police arrested an official from the Gauteng Traffic Police in Marshalltown and an official of the Department of Home Affairs. One of the suspects involved in the case is reportedly under incarceration, and more arrests will be made.

The officers run a syndicate

The police also suspect that this is not the first case of this nature and called on members of the Gauteng community to come forward with information. They have been charged with kidnapping and malicious property damage. The syndicate targets Gauteng-based businesses operated by foreign nationals.

Police officers who have been arrested

• Seven members of the South African Police Service were arrested on 10 September 2024 after they attempted to extort money from a businessman in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
• A police officer in Attridgeville was arrested on 27 December 2024 after he allegedly murdered a man in Protea Glen, Soweto
• Two female officers from Heidedal in the Free State appeared in court on 7 March after they had assaulted a member of the public, and the incident was caught on camera
• A police officer allegedly killed her son and his teenage lover in Botlokwa, Limpopo, and was arrested on 15 February
• A police officer was arrested on 22 March 2025 after he was allegedly involved in illegal mining activities in Barberton, Mpumalanga

SAPS officer caught with 105 bank cards

In another article, Briefly News reported that a Durban, KwaZulu-Natal police officer was arrested in October 2024 after she was found in possession of 105 different bank cards. The police also caught her with the bank card of a hijacked victim.

The officer reportedly took the card from the victim while driving the recovered vehicle back to the police station. She was charged with fraud and defeating the ends of justice.

Source: Briefly News