An escapee who was allegedly granted bail through fraudulent means will appear on 29 January 2018, in the Modimolle magistrate court on a charge of escaping from lawful custody.
Following a tip off by members of the community, 33 year old Jack Opperman was rearrested in his hideout place in Potchefstroom, Northwest, where he was hiding with a female lady he allegedly met on facebook from 2017 under a false name of Herman Calitz.
Jack Opperman was re arrested on Friday 26 January 2018, after a long search by the Modimolle police.
He escaped after appearing on three charges of fraud. The suspect was wrongfully released in Pretoria after he paid bail that was allegedly arranged through fraudulent means.
Opperman was initially arrested in Witbank, Mpumalanga in August 2017 by the Modimolle Detectives after defrauding several victims of their hard earned cash. He was being sought by the police since May 2016.
It is understood the suspect was advertising Buffalo for sale and was subsequently paid thousands of rand (Aprox. R60 000) when the unsuspecting victims made deposits into his account. He then disappeared. Three cases of fraud were then opened against him and a search ensued.
Opperman appeared before Modimolle Magistrate’s Court on the 20th of September 2017 and was remanded in custody. The suspect was thereafter taken to Pretoria for detention. He somehow managed to pay bail to the amount of R500.00 which was never granted during his court appearance. The suspect was supposed to appear again in the same court on Monday 16 October 2017, but was nowhere to be found.
Premilinary police investigations at the time pointed to possible aiding and abetting. A case of escaping from lawful custody has been opened against the suspect. Police have also opened cases of defeating the ends of Justice and aiding and abetting against the magistrate and a police warrant officer.
Criminal and internal investigations are still continuing in this regard.
The Provincial Police Commissioner Lt. General Nneke Ledwaba has once again applauded the detectives who worked restlessly to rearrest this long wanted escapee.
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