Five arrested over fake passports

An operation comprising various South African Police Service units in the Uitenhage Cluster last week made a major breakthrough against the falsifying of work or study permits and passports in the Addo and Kirkwood regions.

According to the SAPS provincial media service, the operation was conducted during the evening of Thursday, 13 April, and five suspects were apprehended at their homes in the Bontrug Moses Mabida area (Kirkwood) and Valencia (Addo) area and all the equipment used to allegedly falsify these documents was seized.

"Four cases of falsifying of documents and fraud were registered and all the equipment will be handed over to the SAPS Cyber Crime Unit to be analysed," SAPS EC said..

The two suspects from the Kirkwood area (ages 27 and 29) appeared in the Kirkwood Magistrate’s Court on 19 April while the three suspects in the Addo cases appeared the previous day in the Addo Magistrate’s Court and the cases were provisionally withdrawn awaiting the outcome of the report from the SAPS Cyber Crime Unit. Valentine Kasiyumhuru (23), Sukolohle Tihtihtha (29) and Shegiru Enu (32) were released and the cases will be placed on the court roll again after the reports were received from the SAPS Cyber Crime Unit.

The acting Uitenhage Cluster Commander, Brigadier Ronald Koll commended the team for their efforts and emphasised that the South African Police Service will remain focused and committed, although the cases were provisionally withdrawn.