Four members of the six-man extortion syndicate who posed as police officers in Bloemfontein have been handed lengthy prison sentences for defrauding residents of hundreds of thousands of rand.

The Bloemfontein Regional Court on Wednesday (17/12) sentenced four of the suspects linked to criminal activities in Freedom Square and Bloemanda Phase 2, where victims lost a total of R370,000. Liabeng Hoffman (45), Tebello Lehloenya (38) and Nthoesele Phenethi (45) were each sentenced to eight years’ direct imprisonment, and Aaron Klaas (55) to four years.

The convictions stem from two separate incidents that followed a similar modus operandi. In both cases, the suspects used what police described as a “lost phone” tactic, said police spokesperson Mahlomola Kareli.

“An accomplice would visit the victim’s home, leave a cell phone behind and request that it be charged. Shortly thereafter, a white bakkie would arrive with suspects posing as police officials.”

The fake officers would then accuse the victims of being in possession of a cell phone linked to a murder case and place them under “false arrest”. While in the vehicle, the suspects allegedly demanded large sums of money in exchange for the victims’ release.

The victims were coerced into travelling to banks, where they were persuaded to withdraw or transfer money into a specified account. In total, R150,000 and R220,000 respectively were extorted from the victims in the two incidents.

'Matter prioritised due to seriousness of crime, impact on community'

Cases of extortion, robbery with aggravating circumstances and impersonating a police officer were registered at the Kagisanong and Bloemspruit police stations, said Kareli. The matter was prioritised due to the seriousness of the crimes and the impact on the community.

A swift tactical operation by the Mangaung metro district extortion task team led to the arrest of all six suspects. The team was led by Lt. Col. David Ramasoala, Lt. Col. Kelaotswe Lebodi and Capt. Lobeko Molawa.

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi   cvdw