BLOEMFONTEIN – The police have yet to file charges in a sophisticated WhatsApp extortion scheme to which eight inmates have been linked. An investigation by the Bloemfontein Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team led to the discovery of prima facie evidence at the Zonderwater Correctional Centre situated in Cullinan, Gauteng.
The Hawks team is working to piece together clues in this extortion case involving a ring of inmates operating from the prison in question. WO Fikiswa Matoti, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said the investigative team discovered cellphones, notebooks and documents during a search and seizure operation in the cells at the prison in question.
Matoti said the investigative team traced the origin of WhatsApp messages in which payment had been demanded to end prosecution of a case in court, and in which a police officer was impersonated. The trail led from Bloemfontein to inmates at the Zonderwater Correctional Centre, and assistance was provided by the correctional centre’s Emergency Support team during the search and seizure operation.
Matoti said this operation was the result of a complaint involving a WhatsApp extortion scheme in which a Hawks official had been impersonated. It is claimed that the sender of the messages had influence over an active criminal matter. The sender offered to have the trial against an accused person terminated in exchange for a payment of R200 000.
Matoti has confirmed that in April this year, an advocate of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa reported to the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit in Bloemfontein that an attorney representing an accused person had raised concerns about these WhatsApp messages.
“The accused’s wife allegedly received a WhatsApp communication from someone introducing himself as a police officer and claiming to be working with the state prosecutor handling the case.
“The individual demanded payment to end the prosecution,” said Matoti.
