House music songbird Busisiwe “Bucie” Qwiliso’s baby daddy, Lucky Nkomo, is suing FNB for R5-million after the bank’s employee allegedly leaked his account information to members of the Crime Intelligence Unit, who used it to kidnap and extort him money.
In the papers that we have seen, Nkomo’s lawyers, BDK Attorneys, detail how an FNB employee, Ramiel Singh, worked with the rogue cops in kidnapping and transferring a total of R180 000 from his bank accounts. The lawyers allege that the cops did so after they traced Nkomo’s movements via his FNB app with Singh’s help.
According to the papers, which were filed in the Johannesburg High Court, Nkomo, who is estranged from Bucie and has a child with her, has had an account with FNB since April 12, 2019.
His lawyers said on January 30 last year, Nkomo was approached by three men who identified them-selves as policemen at a pool hall in Weltevreden Park, in Gauteng.
They then arrested him without explanation, directed him into a Ford vehicle, and confiscated his cellphone.
While in the car, stated the lawyers, the cops alleged to him that he was implicated in an investigation involving a R200-million fraud.
Nkomo was taken to the Fairlands Police Station to be charged. An FNB vehicle, driven by Singh, followed the Ford to the cop shop.
Upon arrival at the station, they said, the Ford was parked outside.
“The plaintiff was not taken out of the Ford into the Fairlands Police Station to be charged. The Ford remained outside the Fairlands Police Station with the plaintiff and unidentified SAPS members.
“An employee of the defendant, Ramiel Singh, entered the Ford. Mr Singh forced the plaintiff to hand over his phones to him, unlocked his phones, and assaulted and intimidated the plaintiff.
“Mr Singh assaulted the plaintiff and threatened his life in the Ford,” read the summons.
During the assault in the vehicle outside the station, Nkomo’s friends, having followed him to the cop shop, attempted to intervene but were ordered by the police to leave.
Singh, they said, then exited the Ford and returned to Nkomo’s vehicle at the joint and came back later.
“The plaintiff was then taken to his residential complex, with Mr Singh following the Ford vehicle in the defendant’s vehicle.
“At the plaintiff’s residence, the SAPS members and Mr Singh were denied entry (at first) due to the SAPS members and Mr Singh refusing to provide a form of identification.
“The plaintiff’s keys were in his car at the pool hall, and he could not open for Mr Singh and the SAPS members,” read the papers.
They said the security guard identified Nkomo and allowed them access to the complex, however, the businessman could not open his home.
“Mr Singh alighted from the defendant’s car towards the Ford vehicle. Mr Singh grew increasingly aggressive as they could not enter the plaintiff’s residence and then proceeded to threaten to kill the plaintiff.
“While the cops and Singh initially attempted to gain access to Nkomo’s apartment, Singh ultimately decided against breaking in, and they subsequently left the premises.”
They then decided to head towards Nkomo’s former residence in Roodepoort, where Bucie lives.
They said Singh displayed distressing knowledge of where Nkomo lived and even where he used to live.
His knowledge of Nkomo’s personal information could only have been gained through the accessing of his personal information held by the bank, they said.
While en route to Bucie’s house, the Ford vehicle pulled over at an empty field near the CRC Church on Witkoppen Road.
Nkomo was forced out of the vehicle and taken to the field, where Singh and the cops instructed him to transfer funds from his accounts into their account.
“The plaintiff was extorted and intimidated to transfer R90 000 from his Nedbank account and another R90 000 from his Discovery bank account.
The defendant’s employee indicated they had used the defendant’s app to locate him and would do so again,” read the papers. After transferring the funds, they left him stranded in the veld.
The lawyers said FNB was vicariously liable for the harm suffered by Nkomo because Singh accessed and disseminated his personal information and facilitated criminal activity.
“The plaintiff claims R5 000 000 (five million rands), which amount is just and reasonable, given the multifaceted nature of the harm endured by the plaintiff as a direct result of the defendant’s negligent actions, which facilitated criminal conduct targeting him,” read the papers.
