Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) Pretoria have arrested three Somali nationals on charges of fraud, corruption and illegal immigration following a disinformation operation at border checkpoints in Mpumalanga.
These arrests are part of intensive operations conducted between 27 February and 11 March 2026, aimed at locating wanted persons and preventing theft or evasion. Fake travel documents at South African land border crossings.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mukhathi said the first suspect, a 40-year-old woman, identified as Falisa Adullah Sheikh-Mohamed, was arrested after she was found in possession of a Norwegian passport during a document screening operation on Tuesday.
Mukathi said the passport triggered an alert on the Interpol mobile device system.
Further investigation revealed that the passport had been circulated by Norwegian authorities on Interpol's global database and had previously been canceled by the Norwegian Immigration Department.
Sheikh-Mohamed was also denied entry to Mozambique when authorities discovered he did not have the visa required for a Norwegian passport. Police later seized the flagged document.
After the incident, the suspect reportedly contacted his brother, Hussain Mohammed Ali, 44, for assistance.
Mukhathi said that during a meeting at a Spar restaurant in Komatipoort, the pair allegedly attempted to bribe a police officer with the sum of Rs 2,000 in exchange for the woman's release.
Authorities immediately arrested Ali along with a third suspect, 38-year-old Mukhtar Mohammed, who had driven the pair to the location.
The suspects were detained at Komatipoort Police Station. During the operation, police seized three cellphones, R2,000 in cash allegedly used in a bribery attempt, Norwegian passports and a BMW X3 vehicle.
The trio appeared in the Komatipoort Magistrate's Court on Thursday on charges of fraud, corruption and illegal immigration. The case was adjourned to 17 and 20 March 2026 for further proceedings.
sinenhlanlah.masilela@iol.co.za