A woman who made a viral voice note containing fake information is urged to come forward to be brought to book.
According to police in Mpumalanga, a woman made the recording claiming that 27 children had been kidnapped in Doornkop in Middelburg in exchange for R10 million.
Spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli says no such case has ever been reported in the area of Doornkop or anywhere else in the province.
He says the voice note further states that a mob attacked the female kidnapper, another matter not reported anywhere.
Police are challenging the person who recorded the voice note to come forward and narrate the truth to the public.
Colonel Mdhluli says people who know her whereabouts are urged to come forward and may remain anonymous.
He says this warning comes against the backdrop that the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela took this allegation seriously and further warned members of the public to refrain from such conduct of posting fabricated stories on social media platforms and present them as true.
"This type of behaviour tends to be gaining momentum and has become a norm nowadays. What worries us most is the tendency to perpetuate lies about criminality, which is of serious concern to both the state and citizens. It is even worse in this instance because police officers are alleged to be involved in the trafficking of children as alluded to in the circulated audio. The noble thing to do, is to immediately report to the authorities whenever one suspects that a crime has been committed, or is about to be committed, regardless of whether the one involved is a police officer or not, " said the General.
