The two men, aged 35 and 38, who were being hunted in the Western Cape (WC) for ATM frauds were intercepted near Peddie in the Eastern Cape (EC), on 17 March 2025, before causing havoc in this province.
The duo was allegedly described as people who were behind a series of Automated Teller Machine (ATM), fraud incidents in the Western Cape, during their arrest, it was alleged that they were on their way to commence their mission in the Eastern Cape. The two were cornered in Peddie, following a multi-disciplinary intelligence-driven operation led by the East London Serious Organized Crime Investigation team.
The suspects appeared before East London magistrate court last Wednesday, 19 March 2025, before being transferred to the Western Cape to face charges.
The suspects are believed to have been allegedly using specialized software to withdraw cash illegally from ATMs serviced by Fidelity Cash Solutions. It was reported that one of the suspects will allegedly disguise himself as a Fidelity security guard, armed with a rifle, to allegedly create the illusion of legitimate ATM servicing.
It was also reported that the previous crime allegedly committed is linked to an estimated R7 million losses, prompting the Western Cape SAPS Commercial Crimes Unit to activate the DPCI Eastern Cape on 15 March 2025, suspecting the criminals had moved into the province.
Acting swiftly, further information revealed that the DPCI team tracked the suspects to a guest house in East London, where they discovered that they had already left the site, travelling in a white Toyota Fortuner towards Peddie, where they were cornered on the N2 highway and arrested.
According to the Hawks spokesman in the Eastern Cape, Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba, upon searching their vehicle police discovered a laptop allegedly containing fraudulent ATM-access software and other crucial evidence.
