Apprehended for fraud, Patrick Mwanje will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on June 20.
Mwanje appeared briefly at the magistrate’s court in Polokwane on Tuesday.
It is alleged that in September 2022, the victim, who was a police colonel, was dating a foreigner who introduced her to the suspect as his uncle who also masqueraded as a prophet.
Hawks spokesperson in Limpopo Matimba Maluleke said the duo allegedly persuaded the victim to resign so that they can start a flourishing business.
“The victim indeed resigned in November last year and when she received her pension payout of R3.7-million in February this year, she allegedly handed it over to the suspect so that he can pray for a successful booming business,” said Maluleke.
He added that the victim was allegedly sent on a holiday for a few days by her boyfriend. When she returned to the boyfriend’s apartment to check on the progress, she found that he had vanished.
“The victim tried to reach the boyfriend on the phone but he was unreachable. That’s when she realised that she was scammed and reported the matter to the police.”
The Polokwane-based Hawks’ serious commercial investigation members were entrusted with the investigation of the case.
After conducting a thorough investigation, the suspect was successfully traced and arrested at Burgersfort police station where he was detained for allegedly committing a similar offence.
The search for the other suspect is still continuing.
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