The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) continues to make significant inroads in dealing with sophisticated card fraud syndicates and fraudsters operating in the Western Cape.
This follows three separate successful convictions obtained by the Hawks’ ATM Task Force and Serious Commercial Crime Investigation at the Bellville and Athlone Magistrate Courts respectively.
Celesani Cele (31) also known as “Sunny”, a waiter at a popular local Table View restaurant, was sentenced to a total of six counts of fraud, violating the Electronic Communications and Transactions (ETC) Act, 25 of 2002, and money laundering.
He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment wholly suspended for 5 years. He was slapped with a further three years imprisonment wholly suspended for five years for violating the ETC Act 25 of 2002 and an additional seven years imprisonment for money laundering wholly suspended for 5 years.
Cele was arrested by the Hawks ATM Task Force Team and various banking industry role players, whilst on duty inside the Restaurant in November 2018. He was found in possession of a bank card skimming device, and a notebook containing what appeared to be illegally collated bank card details of various restaurant clients.
On a separate and unrelated matter, Lukhanyo Bokolo (33) was also arrested by the Hawks’ ATM Task Force Team following up on information about suspected cloned cards being used at a store in Tygervalley Mall in June 2019. He was caught in possession of five cloned cards which were used to purchase more than R31 000 worth of merchandise.
He pleaded guilty on all charges and was sentenced to five years imprisonment wholly suspended for five years for violating the ECT act 25 of 2002. The Bellville Magistrate court also found him guilty and sentenced him to three years direct imprisonment for fraud as well as an additional three years for violating the ECT act 25 of 2002. Both charges will run concurrently.
Meanwhile, Nuur Abdulahi Ahmed (31) was sentence to three years imprisonment wholly suspended for five years and a further order to pay R100 000 for contravening with Counterfeit Goods Act 37 of 1997 by the Athlone Magistrate Court.
Abdulahi, the owner of Ubuntu wholesaler located at Montwood Drive, in Philippi, was arrested during an intelligence driven operation led by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team accompanied by Adams & Adams Attorneys in November 2017.
During the search and seizure operation about 4540 counterfeit Anchor Yeast sachets worth at least R18000. The court found him guilty and he was further ordered to pay R100 000 to Adams and Adams Attorneys in favour of Anchor Yeast brand holder on or before the end August 2019.
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