Five men have been arrested in the Vaal region in connection with a prepaid electricity scam.
The men were arrested in a pre-dawn raid on Friday by members of the National Investigation Unit (NINU).
“Following up on intelligence‚ the investigation team went to Vanderbijl Park‚ Evaton and Boipatong in Gauteng where they identified and searched several houses. The first two residences were visited at Vanderbijl Park where Eskom CDU equipment (equipment used to generate electricity vouchers) were seized‚” said national police spokesman Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo.
He said the equipment included computer keyboards‚ printers with printing paper‚ computer screens‚ central processing units‚ external hard drives‚ Eskom modems‚ and other computer accessories.
“At one of the houses in Evaton an unlicensed firearm was seized. The 9mm Norinco pistol‚ with serial number filed off‚ had 6 live rounds in the magazine. Additional ammunition belonging to various firearms‚ including AK 47 rounds‚ were also seized along with the unlicensed firearm. The firearm will be sent for ballistic testing to check if it can be linked to other crimes committed in the Vaal area‚” Naidoo said.
He added that the potential loss to Eskom and the country’s fiscus could be in the billions.
Five men bust for prepaid electricity scam
Five men have been arrested in the Vaal region in connection with a prepaid electricity scam.
The men were arrested in a pre-dawn raid on Friday by members of the National Investigation Unit (NINU).
“Following up on intelligence‚ the investigation team went to Vanderbijl Park‚ Evaton and Boipatong in Gauteng where they identified and searched several houses. The first two residences were visited at Vanderbijl Park where Eskom CDU equipment (equipment used to generate electricity vouchers) were seized‚” said national police spokesman Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo.
He said the equipment included computer keyboards‚ printers with printing paper‚ computer screens‚ central processing units‚ external hard drives‚ Eskom modems‚ and other computer accessories.
“At one of the houses in Evaton an unlicensed firearm was seized. The 9mm Norinco pistol‚ with serial number filed off‚ had 6 live rounds in the magazine. Additional ammunition belonging to various firearms‚ including AK 47 rounds‚ were also seized along with the unlicensed firearm. The firearm will be sent for ballistic testing to check if it can be linked to other crimes committed in the Vaal area‚” Naidoo said.
He added that the potential loss to Eskom and the country’s fiscus could be in the billions.