Gauteng police have arrested four suspects after uncovering an alleged romance scam centred on promises of instant wealth through ancestral rituals, with investigators finding a makeshift altar and underground cave allegedly used to convince victims that ancestors were communicating with them.
The arrests followed an operation by the Gauteng Provincial Commercial Crime Investigation Unit after a South African woman became suspicious of claims that a purported Ugandan priest could multiply her money through ancestral rituals and spiritual intervention.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said investigators were alerted after the complainant began questioning the claims being made to her and contacted police.
“After becoming suspicious, the complainant alerted the police, who conducted an operation. One suspect was arrested while accompanying the complainant to Midrand to secure loans from a banking institution.”
The suspect's arrest led police to a property in Winchester Hills, south of Johannesburg, where investigators believe the alleged scam was being operated from.
