Case against cops in R900k heist postponed

The case against ten suspects, including police officers and a traffic official, has been postponed to 14 November to allow for further investigation.

The group faces charges of theft, fraud, and corruption for the alleged theft of nearly R900,000 taken during a raid at a shop in Dragon City, in June. They appeared briefly at the Johannesburg Magistrates Court today.

The accused include Captain Letlhogonolo Andrew Molatlhegi, Warrant Officer Mabutho Masina, Constable Mpho Irvyn Netshivhera, and Constable Nhlamulo Matsilela, along with six civilians.

They were arrested for allegedly stealing money from a shop during a police operation at a Johannesburg shopping centre.

The shop owner said he received a call from an employee alerting him that police were on the premises. When he arrived, the business had been shut down. At Johannesburg Central Police Station, he was told his employees had been arrested for allegedly contravening the Currency Act.

Those charges were later withdrawn. The shop owner then reported that about R900,000 was missing, with only a small portion officially logged as evidence.

Investigators later recovered a significant amount of cash from vehicles linked to the raid, which led to the arrests of the suspects.

The accused are currently out on R3,000 bail.

On Friday, their legal team argued for the relaxation of some bail conditions, saying these hindered the officers from performing their duties.

State prosecutor, Yumnah Mayet, confirmed the motion was unopposed:

Written by: Lebohang Ndashe