Members of the Hawks' serious corruption investigating unit were sent on a wild goose chase yesterday when they went to Lebowakgomo to arrest a government official for corruption.

It was a case of missing the target when a group of police officers from the crime-busting unit arrived to find the person they were looking for was not at his place of residence.

A Sowetan team had accompanied the officers to a complex housing government officials to arrest an employee of the Limpopo department of economic development, environment and tourism.

The person was being sought for allegedly soliciting bribes for issuing liquor licences to liquor traders.

A large contingent of police vehicles had arrived at the complex to find the official was not at his place.

Frustrated officers who knocked at his room without getting a response then used their phones to trace his whereabouts. Someone answered his cellphone but would not give the details of his whereabouts.

Initially he told the cops that he was far from his place of residence, but later changed his tune to say he was in Modimolle before changing the name of the area to Botlokwa.

At the end of the day, the officers were forced to return to Polokwane with tails between their legs as they could not get their target.

Provincial Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke said yesterday they would continue looking for the “suspect” until he was arrested.

“The suspect can run but that will not be forever. We are on his trails and [we] will make sure that he is arrested soon,” said Maluleke.

He said if arrested, the official would face charges of fraud and corruption.

According to him, the reason the police could not get hold of the target was because they had first attended a court case in Morebeng, near Modjadjiskloof in the morning, where a state prosecutor arrested on Monday for allegedly demanding a bribe from a man who was nabbed for possession of stolen properties was appearing.

Maluleke said 46-year-old Molatelo Herbert Serumule was granted R1 000 bail and the case was postponed to January 18 pending further investigations.

Maluleke said the arrest of the prosecutor came after the complainant had alerted them about demands for outstanding bribe.

He said preliminary investigations had revealed that Serumule had demanded a R2 000 bribe to withdraw the case but that the whistle-blower was in possession of R500 at the time. The case was indeed withdrawn but Serumule continued to put pressure on the man to pay the outstanding amount.