- A man has been arrested after police officers
caught him in possession of raw gold worth R500 000. - It is alleged that he was preparing to smuggle it
into Gauteng. - He has been also been charged with corruption after
he allegedly offered investigators money to release him.
A 41-year-old man has been arrested after police
officers caught him in possession of raw gold, with an estimated value of R500
000, in Pongola, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
According to the Hawks, the Richards Bay Serious
Organised Crime Unit and Pongola police received a tip-off about a suspect who
was allegedly in possession of raw gold which he was reportedly preparing to
smuggle into Gauteng.
“A joint operation was swiftly conducted and
the suspect was arrested and charged,” Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe
Mhlongo said on Tuesday.
He said the value of the seized raw gold was
estimated to be R500 000.
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During the preliminary investigation, investigators
found that the seized gold had been extracted from Klipwal Gold Mine in
Pongola.
“The suspect was charged for corruption after
he offered the investigators money to set him free,” Mhlongo said.
He is expected to make his first court appearance
at the Pongola Magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
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