A married couple made their first court appearance in the Middleburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday after being arrested by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit for fraud of around R1.7m.
Police spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi said Peter Scooby, 43, and his wife Alleta, 47, are alleged to have approached a trucking company in Middelburg last month, where they proposed a deal to purchase 90 trucks.
Sekgotodi said an application had been submitted and approved.
"The couple then requested that ten trucks should be prepared for delivery as soon as possible as they wanted to collect them after the initial deposit," She said.
Sekgotodi said the pair had informed the company on April 5 that they deposited an amount of just over R1.7 million into the company’s bank account and were ready to take delivery of the trucks.
"The proof of payment was suspicious and the company approached the bank for validation which confirmed that no payment had taken place," she said.
Sekgotodi said the Hawks were alerted and investigations revealed that the couple’s documentation used in the application was fraudulent.
"A sting operation was carried out. The pair was nabbed when they arrived at the trucking company’s premises to 'finalise' the deal and receive the trucks," Sekgotodi said.
Sekgotodi said the case has been postponed until April 25, where the couple are expected to appear for a formal bail application.