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1 week ago
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Two KZN police sergeants were arrested in connection with allegedly extorting shebeens and illegal cigarette traders.
- Two KZN police sergeants were arrested for allegedly extorting shebeens and illegal cigarette traders.
- A separate investigation is under way against officers accused of helping them evade arrest.
- The suspects were arrested following months of allegedly extorting victims.
Two police sergeants in KwaZulu-Natal have been arrested on charges of extortion, while an internal criminal investigation is under way against other officers accused of helping them evade justice.
The pair were arrested by the Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit on Friday, in connection with an alleged extortion scheme targeting illegal shebeen operators and illicit cigarette traders in Amaoti, Inanda, north of Durban.
One of the suspects is stationed at Inanda police station, and the other at the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court.
On Saturday, police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the two officers allegedly approached victims over several months, identified themselves as police officials, produced authentic police identification cards and carried firearms before demanding money in exchange for not arresting them.
The arrests follow a dramatic incident on 14 January, when residents of Amaoti apprehended the two officers, disarmed them and took them to the Amaoti satellite police station.
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“However, police officials on duty at the satellite station allegedly redirected community members to Inanda police station to open criminal cases. The same officers are said to have later driven [from] the satellite station with the two apprehended sergeants in the back of a police van,” Netshiunda said.
When community members arrived at Inanda police station, they were reportedly shocked to learn that the two officers had not been booked in and that staff at the community service centre had no knowledge of the alleged extortion or the earlier apprehension.
The Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit subsequently took over the investigation, leading to the arrest of the two sergeants. They are expected to appear in court on Monday on four counts of extortion.
Police said additional charges could follow as more alleged victims come forward to open cases.
Netshiunda added:
A separate investigation for defeating the ends of justice is at an advanced stage against police officers who allegedly failed to open a case and assisted their colleagues in escaping from the Amaoti satellite police station.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said the arrests demonstrate a commitment to rooting out corruption within the service.
“For police to effectively fight crime, we should first clean ourselves. Few individuals are tarnishing the name of the police, and we must deal with them from within and get rid of them,” he said.
Mkhwanazi added that officers found to be involved in criminal activity would face arrest and internal disciplinary processes.
He also thanked the Amaoti community for apprehending the suspects and handing them over to the authorities.
“We apologise that some of us let you down and released the suspects. However, the wrath of the law will take its course, and justice will be served,” he said.
