CRIME SCENE: Mitchells Plain, Cape Town: Four members of an alleged hardware fraud syndicate are behind bars.

According to the South African Police Service (SAPS) Western Cape media office, the four men attempted to defraud a hardware store at a shopping mall in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plainb on Wednesday 06 May 2026.

Two male suspects went to the hardware store and purchased one item worth R600. According to the police they later came back with a fraudulent till slip claiming that they had purchased 41 items.

The cashier spotted the discrepancy and immediately notified Lentegeur Police. The suspects and two others attempted to flee but they were intercepted at a petrol station by members of the Western Cape Flying Squad and arrested for fraud.

The investigation is continuing into the suspects’ alleged modus operandi and possible link to other cases. The arrest follows prior reports of similar incidents at hardware stores around the province in the past year.