Eight Suspects Hauled Into Court for Loan Fraud Scheme in Makhado
Eight suspects stood before the Makhado Magistrate on Monday, all facing charges of fraud. Their alleged con: using counterfeit bank statements and letters from the Government Employee Pension Fund (GEPF) to deceptively obtain personal loans totaling over R250,000.
The period between June and September 2019 saw the execution of their scheme as they applied for personal loans at a local cash loans business in Makhado. It wasn’t long before the accruing irregularities attracted the attention of the business’s management, who did not hesitate to sound the alarm to the local authorities.
“The Makhado police were promptly alerted, and a case of fraud was opened,” said a spokesperson from the Hawks, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation. This case was then taken up by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit, based in Polokwane, indicating the severity of the offense.
Investigations unraveled the plot, leading to the revelation that the eight were not acting independently. They were allegedly recruited by another individual who has been marked as the suspected mastermind of the operation and is currently eluding capture.
“The orchestrator of this scam is still at large,” the Hawks’ representative disclosed, “our personnel are relentless in their pursuit.”
Upon a rigorous investigation and backing from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), authorities were able to secure warrants for the arrest of the suspects. The warrants bore fruit between January 28th and 29th, 2024, when the eight were apprehended in various locales around Lebowakgomo.
The suspects have been named as Loba Mathonsi (52), Shogole Ramaisile (48), Johanna Ramodike (40), Winnie Molala (39), Raesibe Masopogo (38), Merriam Kekana (54), Oniky Morema (39), and Refiloe Ramokolo (28).
Their appearance in court was the first step in legal proceedings against them. The court has remanded them in custody, with a view toward a bail application scheduled for Monday, 05 February 2024.
With the eight in court and the hunt for the ringleader intensifying, the message from the Hawks to those involved in such fraudulent activity is clear: justice will pursue them.
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