Johannesburg, South Africa – South African police are on the hunt for a Ugandan man who allegedly conned a South African Police Service (SAPS) officer out of nearly R3 million (approximately 614 million Ugandan Shillings) by feigning a romantic relationship.

The suspect, who goes by the name “Dr. Kalvin Sofika” and is believed to be in his 30s, reportedly exploited the trust of a 53-year-old police captain.

The elaborate scam began in September 2023 when the officer met Sofika at a shopping complex in Rustenburg, according to North West provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone.

Mokgwabone detailed that Sofika presented himself as a medical doctor and quickly developed a romantic relationship with the officer, leading to the exchange of contact details and subsequent dating. As the relationship progressed, Sofika allegedly persuaded the officer to take out loans on his behalf, and later, to resign from her role as a captain in the SAPS.

The suspect also took the officer to a traditional healer, who deceitfully confirmed that she needed to resign to start making money. This fraudulent advice led the officer to resign from her government job at the end of November last year, resulting in the loss of her position, her pension, and the money loaned to Sofika, totalling R2.9 million.

Yusuf Abramjee, a leading anti-crime activist and presenter of Crime Watch on eNCA, commented on the prevalence of such scams. “Scams have become rampant across the country, and the criminals are becoming more and more creative,” he stated.

Abramjee emphasized the importance of due diligence before engaging in any financial commitments and warned the public against the allure of seemingly too-good-to-be-true opportunities.

He highlighted the insidious nature of these crimes, where scammers use emotional and sometimes spiritual manipulation to convince their victims to make life-altering financial decisions. “The mere fact that people can be lured to cash up their pension money, losing their lifelong savings, shows that these criminals will do whatever it takes to rob people of their hard-earned money,” he explained.

Authorities urge anyone who suspects they are being targeted by a scammer to formally report these incidents to the police rather than sharing grievances on social media.

As the investigation continues, no arrests have been made, but police affirm that efforts are underway to locate Sofika, who is believed to have relocated after the incident. The SAPS and commercial crime units are increasingly focused on addressing and curtailing white-collar crime, aiming to safeguard citizens from these financially and emotionally damaging scenarios.