‘Double your pension’ scheme leads to alleged R1m fraud in North West

Two Ugandan nationals are expected to appear in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court in the North West today on fraud charges after their case was postponed yesterday to secure an interpreter. According toThe Witness, the accused were arrested in Mmabatho on Saturday after a woman was allegedly defrauded of R1m in a scheme in which she was told her pension money could be doubled through prayer. The provincial Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, says Nasifu Besigye (39) and Laban Mucwa (53) were arrested by members of the Mahikeng-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation unit, the Tactical Response Team (TRT) and the Mahikeng Flying Squad.

Mathebula says police received information about a Gauteng woman who was allegedly being held against her will in Mmabatho with the intention of withdrawing all her pension money.Police followed up on the information and went to the address where the woman was believed to be held. On arrival, they raided the premises and reportedly found her with two men. “The victim was allegedly lured by her boyfriend, Laban Mucwa, who she met on Facebook, to travel to Mmabatho,” says Mathebula.

Mathebula adds that she was reportedly taken to a house in Mmabatho, where she was allegedly instructed to speak to her ancestors in a prayer room so that her pension money could be doubled. “The victim reportedly went to the bank to withdraw R1m and handed it over to her boyfriend,” concludes Mathebula. Breaking news at your fingertips…Follow Caxton Network News onFacebookand join ourWhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak.Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus opFacebooken sluit aan by onsWhatsApp-kanaal.