Cop arrested after airport robbery

POLICE have arrested one of their own who was found with more than R500 000 that he is alleged to have stolen from a foreign national at OR Tambo International Airport.

The 33-year-old detective constable, who is based at the Kempton Park Police station, is accused of colluding with three others to rob the Senegalese man.

The man was then dumped in the veld.

According to police Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, the Senegalese owns a shop in Pretoria and arrived at the airport to catch a flight to Hong Kong, where he was to buy stock.

The man changed some of his money into US dollars at a foreign exchange bureau at the airport. Around 3pm he was on his way to the check-in point when he was stopped by two men.

“One of the males identified himself as a police officer stationed at Crime Intelligence, Kempton Park. The officer informed him that he suspected he was carrying drugs and wanted to search him at the police station in Kempton Park.”

Mohlala confirmed that one of the men was indeed a police officer, even though he had not been wearing uniform at the time of the robbery.

The officer is alleged to have showed his appointment card to the victim before he and an accomplice took him outside to a white Toyota Etios that was parked on the drop off point with two men inside.

They drove the man to open veld at Pomona where they robbed him of his belongings, which included $35 000 (R502 000), R11 000, luggage, passport, cellphone and iPad – and left him there.

A passer-by took him to the airport police station, where a case was opened. An investigation was conducted by the Detective Task Team.

The suspect was identified through CCTV footage and arrested while on duty at the Kempton Park police station.

He is due to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court today. Three other suspects are being sought.