Africa-Press – South-Africa. Free State police are looking into a possible extortion syndicate after arresting a second police officer this year for allegedly accusing innocent men of rape and then demanding money to quash the non-existent case.
Constable Mosimanegape Samuel Seleke, 35, was the second police officer to be arrested following an incident in which he and his accomplices allegedly accused a man of raping a woman.
According to Free State police spokesperson, Captain Stephen Thakeng, the man was threatened with arrest, and that the sentence for rape would be 25 years if he did not pay R100 000.
“The victim was then forced to the bank, where money was transferred to the given bank account,” Thakeng said.
When the matter was reported to the police, a case of extortion was registered and assigned to the provincial Anti-Corruption Unit, which led to the arrest of Seleke on 16 August, said Thakeng.
Seleke, who is attached to the Thabong Visible Policing Unit, appeared in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on a charge of extortion.
He was granted R1 000 bail – and is set to appear in court on 31 August.
Thakeng said the constable was part of a syndicate operating in the area, in which information was sourced about the victims and they were then followed around; after which, the extortion demand took place.
Thakeng said:
In a similar case of extortion, a female Meloding police officer and a 29-year-old woman were arrested earlier this year when they were caught using the same modus operandi.
According to Thakeng, the woman accused her boyfriend of rape and allegedly colluded with the officer to demand R15 000, so the case of rape could go away.
He said that, on the 13 March, the 29-year-old girlfriend visited her boyfriend’s and house demanded R4 000.
“She said he spends his money on his spouse in Mozambique and she wanted to end the relationship because she was not given money,” said Thakeng.
After she left to an unknown destination, Thakeng said her boyfriend received a call from the female officer, who, at the time, was based in Meloding, informing him that his girlfriend was registering a rape case.
“The girlfriend called to inform him that the police officer was demanding R15 000 to drop the case.
“The Anti-Corruption Unit was informed and an entrapment was organised, which led to the arrest of two women – a 41-year-old police constable of Meloding police station and the 29-year-old girlfriend of the complainant,” said Thakeng.
The money was found in the constable’s office and both were charged with extortion.
The female offer was dismissed from the police force and is still in custody, he said.
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