Muhammad Ismail Essack of Modimolle in Limpopo was wanted by members of the OR Tambo International Airport’s (ORTIA) Detective Task Team after he failed to return a hired vehicle to an airport-based car rental company.
Essack hired the vehicle on 27 May 2016 and was supposed to have returned it on 30 May 2016. The car rental company opened a case of theft with the police at ORTIA and he has since been in the task team’s radar until he handed himself over in the presence of his attorney on 13 September 2016 after he caught wind of his impending arrest.
According to the police Essack duped the car rental company into renting him a luxury sedan, and instead of returning it on the agreed date, he sold the vehicle to a Hammanskraal resident, north of Pretoria, for R45 000.
Further investigation by the task team revealed that Essack has another 32 pending cases of fraud and theft of motor vehicles which took place around Modimolle. The 32 cases are already centralized and are being investigated by the Modimolle Police Station and he will appear in the Modimolle Magistrates’ Court on 22 September 2016.
After Essack’s brief appearance at the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court for three counts of fraud and two counts of theft of motor vehicle, he was remanded in custody pending his next court appearance for a formal bail application on 16 September 2016.
