Durban - Jermaine Tyson Sethialall has handed himself over to the police.
Sethialall, 28, from Brookdale in Phoenix, was arrested in December last year and charged with fraud.
He allegedly swapped a stolen bakkie for a vehicle and is being investigated for selling another bakkie and giving the buyer a fake logbook.
Sethialall has pending cases in the Durban, Verulam and Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Courts.
In May and August this year, he did not attend court in the Durban and Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Courts.
As a result, a warrant for his arrest was issued, but Sethialall handed himself over to police on Monday.
He was expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Jacobus Niemandt, 24, a motor mechanic from Marburg in Port Shepstone, is one of Sethialall’s alleged victims. He said, in March 2021, he advertised his Opel Corsa OPC for sale on Facebook for R65 000. The vehicle was a 2010 model.
He said soon after he posted the advert, Sethialall allegedly enquired about the sale through Facebook Messenger.
"He told me he was from Stanger and he owned a garden services business. He asked about my car, and he then told me he had a 2019 NP 200 Nissan bakkie, which had only done 29 000km.
"I asked him to send me pictures of the vehicle, the log book and other paperwork, which he did. Everything seemed legitimate. I asked him what the cash difference would be if I had to give him my car as part of the payment. He said it would be a straightforward swap.
"Everything seemed legitimate, and I needed a bakkie for work, so I agreed to meet him. He came to my home two days later after we chatted on Messenger.
"He drove the OPC, and I drove the bakkie, and everything was in order. I checked the engine number and the VIN number, and nothing seemed amiss. We traded vehicles and parted ways."
Niemandt said six days later, his friend, who works for a car dealership, arrived at his home to see the bakkie.
"My friend noticed that the licence disk stated the bakkie was a 2016 model. He realised something was amiss and said he would do research into the vehicle. Later that day, he called and told me the bakkie was a stolen vehicle.
"I went to the Marburg Police Station and handed the vehicle over. The police confirmed the bakkie was stolen. I opened a case of fraud against Tyson."
He said, in May 2021, he saw his OPC advertised for sale on Facebook. Niemandt said he contacted the seller and was told the vehicle was sold.
"Four months later, a car dealership in Phoenix advertised my car. I met with the business owner and explained what had happened. He handed my vehicle to the police for investigation. He also assisted with information on Tyson, who was arrested in December last year.
"During his court appearances, he never showed remorse for his actions. He laughed and smiled. My vehicle was being kept by the police at a facility near Toyota in Prospecton.
"During the flooding, my vehicle was submerged and severely damaged. We managed to move it to the Isipingo pound. I hope that when it is released to me, I can sell some of the parts to make money.
"He has robbed me. We work hard for what we have, and it's just stolen from us."
Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, a provincial police spokesperson, confirmed a case of fraud was being investigated.
She said another victim had purchased a bakkie from Sethialall. It had been advertised on social media.
"An interested person contacted him, and when he became satisfied that the vehicle belonged to Sethialall, he transferred R179 000 into the account that was given to him. After the sale, the two men went their separate ways, and a few days after the transaction, the new owner proceeded to transfer the vehicle onto his name."
Ngcobo said the buyer was then informed that the logbook was fake and the vehicle belonged to a woman who was struggling to pay her instalments.
"The bank was planning to repossess the vehicle. Another case of fraud was opened at Bellair SAPS, and the investigation revealed the suspect was wanted for similar cases in Durban, Verulam and Port Shepstone."
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