A 39-year-old Nigerian man, Gabriel Okori, has been remanded in custody following his arrest for theft and fraud in connection with a R3 million romance scam in South Africa. Okori appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on October 7, 2024, after being taken into custody on October 3 in Cape Town.
The arrest was conducted by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, in collaboration with the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement and a private security firm.
According to Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela, a spokesperson for the Hawks, the case began when a woman reported that she had met a man named Mark Hermanus on Facebook. The two exchanged phone numbers and began chatting on WhatsApp. During their conversations, “Mark Hermanus” claimed that his son was ill and asked the woman for financial assistance for medical expenses.
The woman continued to send money to “Mark Hermanus,” which accumulated to over R3 million. Although he promised to repay her once his son's medical bills were settled, he failed to return any of the funds.
The complaint prompted the Hawks' serious commercial crime investigation unit to take action, leading to Okori's identification and arrest in Cape Town. He made his initial court appearance on Monday, with the case being postponed to October 14 for further proceedings.
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