A Verulam pawn shop owner has accused police of allegedly stealing money from his store, strip-searching female staff and indecently assaulting his wife.
Asheen Ishwarkumar, 38, this week lodged a complaint with the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) and the Anti-Corruption Unit after three police visits to his shop.
Ishwarkumar and his wife, Shireen, 38, who own a pawn shop in the small KwaZulu-Natal North Coast town, were raided by six police officers last week Saturday.
They were suspected of having stolen items in their shop.
Ishwarkumar, a father of two sons, said he cooperated with the police. But when they left, he found that R3000 had gone missing from his safe.
On Thursday, police returned twice. The first time they searched the shop, said Ishwarkumar, and during the second visit, they questioned Shireen.
He said Shireen, a female employee and their son's fiancée were then strip-searched by a female cop.
It was this policewoman, he said, who allegedly assaulted Shireen and "touched her inappropriately".
"My wife has been traumatised by this incident."
The couple reported the allegations to police and the ICD. They also informed the Anti-Corruption Unit hotline, launched by the department of public service and administration. Some of the claims the unit receives are referred to the Hawks.
Police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane confirmed the couple had opened a case of theft against the police.
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