Cashiers Arrested for Defrauding Free State Pharmacy of over R270,000

In an unsettling breach of trust, two employees at a Welkom pharmacy in the Free State have been taken into custody under charges of fraud and theft. The women, aged 33 and 45, have been implicated in a scheme that siphoned off R270,000 from their employer over a five-year period from February 2015 to June 2020. According to law enforcement officials, the cashiers took advantage of their positions to execute a fraudulent operation involving cash and cosmetics theft.

The deception unravelled when the pharmacy's vigilant manager noticed discrepancies in inventory and financial records that prompted further scrutiny. Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli, a spokesperson for the police, detailed the fraudulent mechanism employed by the arrestees: they cunningly processed sales transactions and then falsely voided them as if the items were never purchased, while in reality, the goods had been sold, and the customers had left with them. The cash from these transactions did not make it into the tills but instead into the pockets of the cashiers.

The scale of the theft expanded as the investigation unearthed additional malpractices. It came to light that recently received cosmetic stock was neither placed for sale nor entered into the inventory tracking system, pointing conclusively towards internal theft. During the pandemic's lockdown, a more brazen act was discovered wherein one of the suspects had directed a supplier to deliver cosmetics not to the pharmacy but to her personal residence.

Armed with compelling evidence, the case handed over to the Welkom serious commercial crime investigation unit caught the attention of the National Prosecuting Authority. Consequently, a robust case was prepared, which led to the issuing of court summons on March 25 and 26. The diligence of the unit resulted in arrests being made in both Welkom and Johannesburg.

The suspects are slated to make their court appearance on April 29 at the Welkom magistrate's court. They stand accused of consciously undermining the financial stability of their employer for personal gain. This case serves as a stark reminder of the caution businesses must exercise in monitoring their financial operations and the relentless diligence of investigative bodies in pursuing justice.