Police
Alet Pretorius, Gallo Images
- Three Durban cops have been arrested and charged with corruption and theft.
- The trio from Sydenham SAPS allegedly seized R24 000 worth of liquor.
- They also demanded a R20 000 “release fee”.
Three Durban police officers have been arrested for corruption and theft after allegedly stealing confiscated alcohol and demanding a release fee of R20 000 from a woman accused of selling liquor from her home, police said on Thursday.
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“Detectives from the Anti-Corruption Unit arrested three police officers for corruption and theft. The suspects aged between 32 and 43 appeared briefly at the Durban Magistrate’s Court yesterday. They were each granted bail of R1 000,” police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said.
The officers included two sergeants and a constable from the Sydenham Police Station.
Few bottles handed in
Naicker said the woman who tipped police off about the trio’s alleged crimes said they arrived at her Clare Road residence on 23 May and accused her of selling alcohol.
“The suspects seized liquor valued at R24 000. They also demanded and received R20 000 from the complainant for her release. When the complainant went to the Sydenham police station, she found that the suspects only handed in a few bottles of alcohol as abandoned and that they had not opened a case against her.”
Naicker said police “immediately opened a criminal docket against the police officers and reported the matter to the Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit”.
Crime Stop
“We commend the complainant in this matter for coming forward and bringing such corrupt practices to our attention so that we can deal with these errant individuals.”
He said anyone with information on crime could contact police on their Crime Stop number 08600 10111.
Information can also be communicated via the MySAPSApp, which can be downloaded via Play Store on any iPhone or Android handset.
