A prisoner serving a lengthy sentence and his cousin have been linked to a scam that cost a woman R41 760 after she was duped into believing she faced arrest.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in Mpumalanga revealed that the scam originated from a prison cell. The victim, who cannot be named for safety reasons, was targeted in September 2022 when she received a call from a man posing as a Hawks captain.

The bogus officer, introducing himself as “Captain Monama”, claimed her 2006 murder case had been reopened and that a warrant of arrest had been issued. He demanded R25 000 to prevent her arrest and promised to destroy evidence against her. The woman paid the amount in two instalments.

Two months later, the scammer contacted her again, saying that a “Detective Wessels” had discovered the supposed arrangement and demanded more money to suppress the matter.

The conman was later identified as Bonginkosi Masango (29), who is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for a 2015 rape conviction. Investigations linked him after the arrest of his cousin, Koosnight Mahlangu (28), on Wednesday, 3 September 2025.

Both men appeared in the Mdutjane Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. Mahlangu was released on R1 000 bail, while Masango remains behind bars. The court has ordered the pair to reappear in the Mdutjana Regional Court on 6 October 2025.

Brigadier Bruce Davenport, Acting Provincial Head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, commended the investigation team.

“A number of people have fallen victim to police impersonators, denting the image of the police. This arrest might be a breakthrough to some of the unsolved cases,” he said.

The case was initially registered at Siyabuswa SAPS in 2024 and referred to the Hawks’ Middelburg-based Serious Corruption Investigation unit.