Fraud suspect arrested in Verulam

A 25 year old man was arrested after he attempted to remove R12 861 worth of goods from a wholesaler in Verulam – KZN.

Members of Reaction Unit South Africa were called out to the business after receiving a call from an employee reporting the incident. Upon arrival Reaction Officers interviewed the Ndwedwe resident who claimed that he was approached by an unknown man who he believed was a foreign national. The man requested assistance to uplift stock which he had allegedly paid for at a wholesaler in the Verulam CBD. The foreign national promised to pay him for his assistance.

The suspect went on to explain that he and the foreign national entered the business and loaded a trolley with 43 cases of Lucky Star tin fish and 8 cases of Colgate toothpaste. The same items appeared on the receipt which was then handed to him. The foreign national then left the store after telling the suspect to meet him outside with the goods.

As the suspect passed the cashier he produced the receipt for the items on his trolley. The cashier suspected something was out of the ordinary and requested security in the store to investigate further. After scrutinizing the invoice in store security established that the proof of payment was fake.

A search of the property and the surrounding roads was conducted for the second suspect however he could not be located. CCTV footage from the store showed both men enter the business together and shortly after loading the trolley one of them exited the business.

Reaction Officers placed the suspect under arrest and handed him over to the South African Police for further investigation.