Cops bust for help in heist and for fraud
09 Jul 2012 | Frank Maponya Limpopo Bureau Chief | 5 comments
Policeman attached to Johannesburg airport arrested on charges of defeating the ends of justice AND another policeman previously attached to the Hawks bust for offering to make a case 'disappear'
The Hawks in Limpopo have arrested a 31-year-old police constable attached to Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo International Airport on charges of defeating the ends of justice.
The arrest followed an investigation into a cash-in-transit robbery at the Mokone Shell garage in Polokwane in May, when four men held Coin Security guards at gunpoint and stole three boxes containing an undisclosed amount of cash.
They took off in a BMW that was later found abandoned two kilometres from the scene.
Limpopo police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi yesterday said: "The investigations led the Hawks to Gauteng, where it is alleged the constable had aided the suspects to escape."
He said the constable was arrested in Tembisa, east of Johannesburg, and was disarmed of his service pistol.
The suspect will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court today.
Other suspects are still on the run.
- In an unrelated incident, a 43-year-old policeman previously attached to the Hawks in Polokwane has been dismissed after he was found guilty of fraud.
Warrant Officer Edward Rabohlale Hlaraka was arrested after receiving a R700 bribe in November last year.
A complainant had allegedly lent R250,000 to a woman who then attempted to repay the money with a fraudulent cheque.
Hlaraka demanded R700 from the fraud suspect to destroy the docket. He allegedly demanded a further R10,000 to destroy the case.
Mulaudzi said Hlaraka was given a total of R1,300 in instalments.
He said a trap was set for Hlaraka in which he was found with R400 in notes that matched the state's trap money.
Hawks head in Limpopo Major-General Dibero Molatjana said yesterday the dismissal should serve as warning that no stone would be left unturned in ensuring that members of the Hawks who are inclined to criminality were exposed and dealt with "accordingly".
- frankm@sowetan.co.za
http://www.axxess.co.za/news/articles/Cops+bust+for+help+in+heist+and+for+fraud
