A pastor and a mall security guard are among the latest people to be arrested — along with eight SAPS members and a former policeman — for allegedly violently extorting money from Chinese shop owners in Cape Town.
“One of the suspects, a 51-year-old pastor, was arrested on a bus en route to Laingsburg last night, while a security officer was arrested at the mall where the extortion occurred,” police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said on Thursday.
“His colleague, who also performs duties at the mall, was arrested this morning at his Khayelitsha residence.”
The businesses in Milnerton were allegedly forced to hand over R28,000 on October 6 by members of the SAPS public order policing unit. Eight members of the unit and three civilians appeared in the Cape Town magistrate’s court on Wednesday, and charges against two civilians were withdrawn. The third civilian is a former SAPS member.
Traut said 12 arrests so far linked to the incident have been made so far.
According to the charge sheet, suspects allegedly “brandished firearms and by demeanour threatened the complainant and a staff member with serious bodily harm if they did not comply or resisted”.
The accused face charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, extortion, use of a vehicle without the consent of the owner and defeating the administration of justice. “The eight police officers and one former police officer are detained until their next court appearance on October 22,” said Traut.
“While the case remains under investigation, the three civilians who were arrested last night and this morning are scheduled to make their court appearance tomorrow in Cape Town.”
TimesLIVE
Kim Swartz
www.timeslive.co.za
