POLICE are investigating a case of fraud in Polokwane after a shop owner was conned out of 18 laptops, valued at more than R200000.

POLICE are investigating a case of fraud in Polokwane after a shop owner was conned out of 18 laptops, valued at more than R200000.

The incident took place in Origstad in the Sekhukhune area in June, but the shop owner only realised he had been swindled yesterday.

Limpopo police spokesperson Superintendent Mohale Ramatseba said on realising that he had been swindled, the shop owner alerted the SAPS commercial branch in Polokwane, where a case of fraud was opened.

Ramatseba said a group of men pretending to be officials from the department of education, approached the shop owner to buy 18 laptops.

He said the men even produced a department of education order form.

"The unsuspecting shop owner fell for the scam and sanctioned the delivery of the laptops.

"The men even helped to load the computers and drove with workers from the shop to a school in Leboeng near Hoedspruit.

"But after the workers left the men reloaded the laptops on to a bakkie and vanished."