LIMPOPO residents have been warned to be on the look-out for people masquerading as police officers and robbing people of their money.

This follows the arrest at Marble Hall last Friday of four men who had been pretending to be policemen. This was after they were caught trying to rob bank clients.

The men allegedly followed a 70-year-old man who had withdrawn money from a bank in the area. He was allegedly smeared with an unknown substance. One of the men who pretended to be a police officer then warned the victim that his money would disappear because of the substance.

The old man was then told to ask for help from a bogus "police colonel", who was an accomplice.

Police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said that before the old man could be tricked into giving the bogus colonel money, they (cops) pounced on the suspects.

He said the police had been monitoring the area for some time after a huge outcry by bank clients around Marble Hall. The four appeared in court on Wednesday and are out on bail. - frankm@sowetan.co.za