Three men have been arrested for posing as policemen in Wesbank, near Oudtshoorn, Western Cape police said on Tuesday.
The three men were seen searching a shop belonging to a Somalian on Sunday, said Captain Frederick van Wyk.
The men claimed to have a search warrant and said they were looking for illegal cigarettes.
The search warrant was found to be a fake and the men were arrested.
"One of the arrested previously served as a policeman, but he was dismissed in January," said Van Wyk.
One of the men was a foreigner.
"The impostors were in possession of a police bullet-proof vest and two police reflector jackets," he said.
They were charged with robbery, possession of stolen state property and impersonating police officers, and would appear in court soon.
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