A 30-year-old police official, Const. Mulalo Davy Madala, appeared in the Louis Trichardt Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, October 14 for a bail application on four charges of armed robbery and one charge of pointing a firearm.

The charges against the official, who is stationed at Tshilvavhusiku police station, stem from robberies which took place during June along the roads to Waterpoort and Thohoyandou.

By all accounts, the perpetrator preyed on women who were standing by the roadside to hitch a ride from passing motorists. He would apparently give them a lift, after which he would produce his service pistol and rob them of their possessions. He was arrested on September 10, after which he was identified by all the victims in an identity parade.