Hawks arrest seven suspects in connection with prepaid electricity fraud

Seven arrests have been made in connection with a crime ring responsible for prepaid electricity fraud.

Hawks officers swooped on several Gauteng premises early on Wednesday morning.

“The syndicates reportedly operate, nationally, and generate income of approximately R150,000 to R250,000 per day from illicit sale of electricity. They are highly organized, well-equipped, closely networked, and are difficult to track,” said the Hawks’ Philani Nkwalase.

The seven suspects are accused of selling illegal electricity to prepaid customers, a practice that costs the utility millions in lost revenue.

“During the arrest, one of the suspects allegedly enticed the arresting officers with R100,000 gratification, and was additionally charged with corruption,” Nkwalase said.

Nkwalase said the team also seized firearms, ammunition, luxury vehicles, and more than R700,000 in cash.

#sapsFS Seven suspects were arrested at the crack of dawn by a multidisciplinary team that swooped in on various premises in Gauteng. The joint team traced & disrupted the criminal network responsible for large-scale pre-paid electricity fraud & theft. TMhttps://t.co/jtDyGSRPeI pic.twitter.com/0oiUzZfS55

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) June 10, 2021

-EWN

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