FREEBIE LODGING

 

Police in Charleshill have in custody 44-year-old Poifo Lekgowe who has been in the habit of deceiving hotel business people by feeding them lies to get whatever service he wants from them.

Lekgowe appeared before court this past Tuesday in CharlesHill facing a charge of obtaining by false pretences, after failing to pay the hotel bills. He will be remanded in custody until the 26th of November 2024.

The man is alleged to have left a P7 000 bill unsettled at one local guest house in Charles Hill.

Confirming investigating the matter, Lefa Kareng of CharlesHill Police Station revealed that the suspect spent nine days at the said lodging place claiming to be a government employee. To make his story believable, the man allegedly lied saying that he would be one of the observers on for the recent general elections.

The man told the guest house owner that the government was yet to credit his account and he would pay immediately after receiving the funds. That did not happen and after nine days, the man left, not suspecting anything, they allowed him to go, trusting that indeed government payments are often delayed, and the matter would be settled in a few days.

The man never returned and this week, the lodge owner told the police what happened.

“We arrested him; he is an unemployed man of Dutlwe village. It seems he sold the lodge owner a convincing story, he told them he works for a certain government department that always does business with them. Not suspecting anything, they accommodated him and gave him meals for free,” he said.

The man is suspected of having deceived more lodging businesses in the villages of Kang, Ncojane and Gantsi using the same modus operandi.

Ncojane station commander, Moses Khunwane confirmed that they have been on the hunt for Lekgowe.

Owner of Ncojane guest house, Gertrude Keakopa revealed that the man left behind a bill of more than P5 000. “He was always full of excuses when we demanded that he pays, we gave him accommodation and food. He claimed to be a businessman of repute and also said he worked at Maun Hospital,” she said this past Tuesday.