By Anita Dangazele
- The teen told police she made up the story because she was scared of her mother and didn’t want to be shamed.
- Police had already started searching for suspects before they realised her story wasn’t true.
A KwaZulu-Natal teenager was arrested after she admitted she lied about being kidnapped and raped.
She was arrested at Verulam police station on 2 May and is facing charges for lying to the police and wasting their time.
The girl told police that she went to a party in Waterloo with her friends. She said one of her friends ordered an e-hailing car to take them home, but the driver took them to Durban instead.
She claimed she was forced to hand over a packet to another car. The men in that car then took her to a club in Claremont, where she said they beat her, made her take drugs and raped her.
But police say none of that happened.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said police believed her at first and opened cases of rape and kidnapping.
“They were already looking for suspects when they found out she lied,” said Netshiunda. “She later admitted that she made up the story because she was scared of her mother and didn’t want people to laugh at her.”
She went to court and was released on bail.
KwaZulu-Natal police boss Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said people who lie to the police will be punished.
“We are working hard to fight violence against women and children,” he said. “Fake cases waste time and resources. Innocent people can even be arrested.”
Pictured above: Handcuffs.
Image source: File
