Hawks flag down suspect who ‘drove off in Range Rover after duping bank’

A suspected fraudster's flashy wheels have seized up after the Hawks discovered the Range Rover was allegedly bought with the help of forged documents.

The suspect and an alleged accomplice were served with summons to appear in court this month. Hawks spokesperson Lt-Col Philani Nkwalase said the pair were due to appear in the specialised commercial crimes court in Pretoria on July 2.

“This follows an extensive investigation by the Hawks' serious commercial crime investigation team in Johannesburg regarding the suspects who allegedly submitted fraudulent documents in support of the vehicle asset finance application,” said Nkwalase.

“The application for (a) Range Rover received in May 2012 was approved and the applicant took delivery of the vehicle. However, the financial institution did not receive the follow-up payments and consequently suffered a financial loss of over R700,000.”

Nkwalase said an investigation ensued.

“Preliminary investigation by the Hawks revealed that the applicant allegedly acted in concert with his friend who later received the vehicle for his personal use.

“They were subsequently served with court summons ... to face two counts of fraud and forgery.”

TimesLIVE