GAUTENG — A 24-year-old man has been handed a stiff 10-year prison sentence following a successful police investigation into a high-tech armed robbery in Springs. Thabiso Sniper Makeke was convicted for his role in a September 2025 incident where a victim was held at gunpoint and coerced into allowing criminals to drain R61,000 from his mobile banking app.
The crime occurred in the Dalfoche area, where a 41-year-old African male was accosted while parked outside a local shop. The suspect, alongside a second accomplice, approached the victim with a firearm, forcing him to re-enter his vehicle. Once inside, the assailants confiscated the victim’s cellphones and intimidated him into revealing his device passwords.
With the phones unlocked, the suspects accessed the victim’s banking application and executed an unauthorized transfer of R61,000.00 into an external bank account before fleeing the scene.
Following the theft, police spokesperson and lead investigator Sgt Raymond Mogashoa spearheaded a detailed inquiry to track the movement of the stolen funds and identify the perpetrators. The investigation successfully led authorities to Makeke, who was arrested and formally charged in connection with the robbery and financial fraud.
Makeke subsequently appeared before the court, where he was sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment. Law enforcement officials highlighted that this conviction serves as a stark warning to others involved in similar schemes, reinforcing the South African Police Service’s commitment to bringing perpetrators of serious, financially motivated crimes to justice.
