Woman rescued after being ‘scammed’ out of R1m by Facebook ‘lover’

The woman was found in Mmabatho, North West, where police say she had been held against her will by two men she trusted, including a man she believed was her boyfriend. Two Ugandan nationals, Nasifu Besigye, 39, and Laban Mucwa, 53, were arrested on Saturday by the Hawks serious commercial crime investigation unit, alongside the Mahikeng tactical response team and Flying Squad, on charges of fraud. Police spokesperson Lt-Col Tinyiko Mathebula said authorities received information about a woman from Gauteng who had travelled to Mmabatho after meeting Mucwa on Facebook.

What appeared to be a romantic connection quickly turned into alleged manipulation and control. Mathebula said the victim was taken to a house where she was instructed to enter a “prayer room” and communicate with her ancestors as part of a ritual meant to multiply her money. “She was instructed to withdraw her pension money so it could be doubled,” Mathebula said.

The woman allegedly withdrew R1m from her bank account and handed it over to Mucwa. Acting on intelligence, police raided the property in Mmabatho, where they found the woman with the two suspects and secured her safety. The suspects appeared briefly in the Mmabatho magistrate’s court on Monday and were remanded. The case was postponed until Tuesday for the provision of an interpreter.