An Eastern Cape man, accused of using fake documents to secure vehicle financing for taxi operators worth millions of rands, has been arrested by the Hawks.
Asanda Nqandela, 38, from East London, was arrested last week and has been charged with fraud.
Eastern Cape Hawks spokeswoman Anelisa Feni said that at the time of his arrest Nqandela had been on bail for four similar cases of fraud.
It is alleged Nqandela would go to a banking institution and apply for vehicle finance using fraudulent documents. The banks would then finance the vehicles.
Feni said many of Nqandela’s clients were taxi operators in the Eastern Cape.
Nqandela was arrested after two other suspects, who cannot be named due to ongoing investigations, accused him of being behind the fraud.
The two appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court last week and are out on R1000 bail each.
“He was arrested at the time. He came to the police offices to sign as part of the bail condition on the first cases of fraud that he’s charged for,” Feni said.
After his arrest last week, Nqandela made a brief court appearance at the same court.
The matter was postponed to today for a formal bail application.
In this latest case, Nqandela is accused of two fraud charges.
“He has been charged with two fraud cases and that has made it six fraud cases opened against him. Adding other cases, this could add up to millions of rands,” Feni said.
A number of financial institutions were defrauded and in one case 50 vehicle applications for finance were made at just one bank.
“Of the 50 applications, four were approved and 46 were detected and declined.
“There’s another banking institution that has approved his applications and the police are investigating that,” Feni said.
She said fictitious bank statements, pay slips, copies of drivers’ licences, original identity documents and other banking documents were recovered by the Hawks from an Amalinda home.
A source within the police said this was the work of a syndicate.
“Banks have been losing millions of rands through this and this is spread throughout the country.”
This has been condemned by the South African National Taxi Association (Santaco) in the Eastern Cape, with Santaco chairwoman Noluntu Mahashe saying it tainted the taxi industry.
“What this person is doing is fraud and it is sad to see taxi operators falling for this as they will be part of the fraud. We really condemn this,” she said.
EC man arrested for vehicle finance fraud
Asanda Nqandela, 38, from East London, was arrested last week and has been charged with fraud.
Eastern Cape Hawks spokeswoman Anelisa Feni said that at the time of his arrest Nqandela had been on bail for four similar cases of fraud.
It is alleged Nqandela would go to a banking institution and apply for vehicle finance using fraudulent documents. The banks would then finance the vehicles.
Feni said many of Nqandela’s clients were taxi operators in the Eastern Cape.
Nqandela was arrested after two other suspects, who cannot be named due to ongoing investigations, accused him of being behind the fraud.
The two appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court last week and are out on R1000 bail each.
“He was arrested at the time. He came to the police offices to sign as part of the bail condition on the first cases of fraud that he’s charged for,” Feni said.
After his arrest last week, Nqandela made a brief court appearance at the same court.
The matter was postponed to today for a formal bail application.
In this latest case, Nqandela is accused of two fraud charges.
“He has been charged with two fraud cases and that has made it six fraud cases opened against him. Adding other cases, this could add up to millions of rands,” Feni said.
A number of financial institutions were defrauded and in one case 50 vehicle applications for finance were made at just one bank.
“Of the 50 applications, four were approved and 46 were detected and declined.
“There’s another banking institution that has approved his applications and the police are investigating that,” Feni said.
She said fictitious bank statements, pay slips, copies of drivers’ licences, original identity documents and other banking documents were recovered by the Hawks from an Amalinda home.
A source within the police said this was the work of a syndicate.
“Banks have been losing millions of rands through this and this is spread throughout the country.”
This has been condemned by the South African National Taxi Association (Santaco) in the Eastern Cape, with Santaco chairwoman Noluntu Mahashe saying it tainted the taxi industry.
“What this person is doing is fraud and it is sad to see taxi operators falling for this as they will be part of the fraud. We really condemn this,” she said.
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