A 37-year-old man who claimed he was robbed of cash and a cellphone was arrested after police discovered he had sold the phone himself.

The man was expected to appear in the Verulam magistrate's court in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday for opening a false robbery case.

The "incident" happened while the man was driving to Durban in August.

"He claimed he was travelling with three men and while they were at Morningside, the three men robbed him of his cellphone and cash.

"A case of robbery was opened at Phoenix police station for further investigation," said police spokesperson Capt Nqobile Gwala.

Gwala said the man was arrested after a thorough investigation.

"The suspect was thoroughly interviewed by detectives. It was uncovered that the man had sold his cellphone in Morningside and was not robbed.

"Phoenix police opened a case of defeating the ends of justice and he was charged," said Gwala.

Police issued a stern warning against opening false cases that wasted state resources.

"We will act decisively against those who open false cases," said Gwala.