Two members of South Africa’s elite “Hawks” police unit have been arrested for allegedly taking part in a 1m rand ($79,000; £58,500) armed robbery.
Warrant officers Tefo Maimane, 49, and Eric Melaphi, 41‚ are accused of taking a share of the money after stopping a man for dangerous driving in September, Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu told local media in a statement.
The two, who are attached to the Hawks unit, along with two other officers, took the man to the nearest police station.
Capt Mulamu said they then discovered boxes filled with cash “including a receipt indicating the total amount which the victim had exchanged for his employer”.
She continued:
“They allegedly offloaded the two boxes and entered one of the offices where they shared 1m rand and returned the remainder to the driver.”
The two men and detective constable Khumbulo Gadivhana, 36, appeared in court on Tuesday, where the case was delayed until 27 December for bail hearings.
Capt Mulamu says one person is still at large.
The Hawks – otherwise known as the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation – investigate serious organised and commercial crimes, and high-level corruption.
