Johnathan Paoli
Fake doctor ‘Dr’ Kingsley Leeto Chele has escaped from police custody while police were cataloguing assets at his home, the Lyttelton police in Tshwane announced on Sunday.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said the accused was alleged to have fraudulently portrayed himself as a medical doctor and targeted his victims, especially women, for investment schemes.
Masondo said Chele’s modus operandi was to contact health professionals on social platforms such as Facebook, pretending to seek investors, subsequently swindling his victims out of thousands of rands for projects that did not exist.
Chele was arrested on 2 October on two cases of fraud that were registered in Sunnyside and Klipgat in June this year. He was denied at the Pretoria Magistrate Court, and was remanded in custody until his next appearance which was expected to take place on Tuesday next week.
Masondo said that the suspect managed to escape from lawful custody during a cataloguing process of the household items at his residence, but Chele’s property and a 2023 VW GTI which the police believe was paid for from proceeds of crime, was successfully seized.
The police have opened a case of escape from lawful custody at the Honeydew Police Station and are asking anyone with information to contact the police immediately.
Recently another bogus doctor ‘Dr’ Matthew Lani was exposed after masquerading on social media as a medical practitioner.
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