Police have dismissed claims that an elderly woman was arrested for using fake bank notes at a Shoprite in Rietgat. Image: Supplied.
Fake news! No Jukulyn mom was arrested using fake lobola money
Rumours of a Jukulyn mom who was arrested at a grocery shop for allegedly using fake lobola money were widely circulated on social media.
Police have dismissed claims that an elderly woman was arrested for using fake bank notes at a Shoprite in Rietgat. Image: Supplied.
Gauteng police say claims that a Jukulyn mom was arrested for using fake bank notes paid for her daughter’s lobola in Jukulyn, Pretoria is fake news.
Rumours that an elderly woman was arrested after she purchased groceries using fake bank notes at a Shoprite store in Rietgat policing precinct were widely circulated on social media earlier this week.
NO JUKULYN MOM WAS ARRESTED FOR USING FAKE MONEY
Following the allegations, police in Rietgat Police Station conducted an investigation in order to ascertain the validity of the allegations.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson in Gauteng, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said members in blue visited a local Shoprite store and spoke to the Manager who denied claims that their store caught anyone paying with fake money.
Furthermore, there is also no such case registered at Rietgat and the neighbouring Police stations.
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Mavela said it is disheartening that irresponsible social media users would deliberately post misinformation about an area while others share carelessly without verifying whether or not the story is accurate.
“The sharing of misinformation puts the South African Police Service at a disadvantage because all the allegations of crime have to be investigated. This leads to the Police utilising State resources and losing valuable time that could have been better utilised to investigate real incidents. Eventually that also disadvantages victims of crime and hampers service delivery,” he added.
