Hijack victims fall victim again - to prisoners INSIDE jail

A scam being run out of prison has been bust‚ involving con artists posing as top cops contacting different police stations to get information about car thefts and hijackings‚ then extorting money from the victims to "get their vehicles back".

This is the second instance of prisoners committing crimes from inside jails to have emerged in South Africa: Carte Blanche reported on Sunday on how farmers were being scammed. The television documentary programme reported that "livestock theft has been taken to a whole new level with a sophisticated scam being operated straight from within a Free State prison".

In the vehicle scam reported on Monday‚ the South African Police Service said two suspects have been arrested in a Pretoria correctional facility by the National Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit.

They stand accused of people in four provinces - Gauteng‚ Mpumalanga‚ KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape.

At the time of their arrest‚ the suspects were "found in possession of cell phones which they used to contact victims during commission of the crime"‚ Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said in a statement.

The suspects‚ aged 44 and 24‚ from Soshanguve and Mamelodi West‚ are now facing charges of extortion‚ fraud‚ theft‚ defeating the ends of justice and impersonating police officers. They made a brief court appearance in Kempton Park and have been remanded in custody to December 4‚ 2017.

Mogale said the investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit began in July 2017 after it received complaints via the SAPS toll-free Crime Stop number‚ 086 00 10111‚ "regarding an alleged scam whereby con-artists were contacting different police stations posing as senior police officers".

"The suspects are alleged to have obtained information about complainants and suspects of criminal cases‚ mostly in respect of car-jackings and theft of motor vehicle and they would use the information to extort money from their victims. Details as to how and from where the suspects have been obtaining such information also forms part of an investigation.

"The suspects would then contact crime victims‚ inform them that their vehicles have been recovered and advise that the victim must deposit certain amounts of money through e-wallet/money market to get their vehicles back.

"In cases of arrested persons‚ these two suspects are alleged to have contacted next of kin for the arrested persons to also solicit money."

Mogale asked people who might have been a victim of the scam or members of the public with knowledge of the crime to contact the police with any information. "Captain Kwena Sefaamela on cell phone number 071 361 9419 and Sergeant Mpho Mashishi on cell phone number 082 770 5404 may be contacted during office hours."