A 40-year-old man on Friday has been apprehended in Honeydew, Johannesburg by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as Hawks, for reportedly posing as a detective for the directorate.

This came after a two-month investigation, following complaints from different government officials and businesspeople that the suspect was promising to ruin case dockets or files that they were made of, in exchange for huge amounts of money.

Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said in his words:

"Coincidentally, most of the victims who were approached are [the] subject of various investigations by Hawks.

"Among the victims was a businessperson from Johannesburg. He was allegedly contacted by a Major General Moodley of the Hawks from Bloemfontein, Free State”.

Mulaudzi added that, the man's mode of operation entailed calling and sending text messages to unsuspecting subjects of Hawks probes, and extorting varying sums of money for allegedly destroying case files.

The victims fell for the scam, as the man even had a WhatsApp status that had an image of a Hawks logo, and he provided genuine bank accounts where money would be deposited.

He will appear in the Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court on Monday, on charges of extortion and impersonating a police official, said Mulaudzi.

He added that other similar probes were at an advanced stage and that apprehensions were expected soon.