A Mpumalanga man is alleged to have stolen R3m from the provincial government, the Hawks said on Wednesday.

Capt Dineo Sekgotodi said the suspect had claimed to work for the Mbombela municipality and fraudulently opened a bank account using false particulars.

“The Mpumalanga department of public works allegedly paid R3m into the said account, seemingly to settle an account owed to the municipality. It later emerged that the money was in fact paid into the alleged fraudster’s account,” Sekgotodi said.

“The Hawks’ investigation, with the aid of footage obtained from the bank where the account was opened, has discovered that large cash withdrawals were made from ATMs and inside various bank branches in Gauteng province, including Kempton Park, Ormonde, Sandton and surrounding areas,” she added.

Six years later and the police were still hunting for the suspect, who scammed his way into becoming a multimillionaire.

The Hawks have since released an image of a man who they believe is key in their investigation.

“Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the investigating officers, Capt Mandla Mphephethe at 071 481 3295 and Capt Jabu Mahlangu at 072 5497 802.”