Car crash victim’s bank account cleaned out: Hawks arrest 13 suspects

The Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation members are executing a take-down operation dubbed “Tit for Tat” in connection with the alleged theft of more than R36m belonging to a First National Bank (FNB) deceased client.

The operation started on May 29 in Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and Limpopo with nine arrests since then. This brings the total number of suspects arrested to 13, and more arrests are expected imminently, Lt-Col Matimba Maluleke said.

Among them is a police sergeant stationed at Makhado.

The deceased, a foreign national businessman who was based in South Africa, died in a vehicle accident in April last year.

The next day, a 29-year-old FNB employee based in Makhado allegedly opened a profile for the deceased client and stole R36,989,052.67. 

"The stolen money was transferred into new bank accounts that were created and the money was squandered."

The FNB employee is the first suspect placed under arrest last year.

e Hawks said at the time he had allegedly spent some of the stolen cash expensive cars n addition to donating money to a church. 

The Limpopo head of the Hawks Maj-Gen Gopz Govender said: “We are going to arrest all those who are involved in this case. We believe all the accused will be convicted.”

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