Four police officers are to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrates Court in Mpumalanga for alleged theft and defeating the ends of justice.
It is alleged the detectives searched a house of an alleged paymaster of illegal miners in Barberton, and confiscated R1.8 million. However, the money was not booked-in as an exhibit. Instead they arrested and kept the son of the alleged paymaster in police custody without opening a case.
Hawks Spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Dineo Sekgotodi, says the police officers later handed in R200,000 of the money seized from the house.
Crime Intelligence was summoned to the police station. On their arrival, they phoned the police officers to come back to the police station. Upon their return, they produced the amount of R200,000 which they alleged was found at the paymasters house. The complainant, who is the son of the paymaster, opened a case of theft of cash against the four police officials. The four police members were arrested, charged, and detained at the Nelspruit police cells, says Sekgotodi.
