Bogus Facebook Doctor Kingsley Leeto Chele Rearrested After Escaping Custody

The accused, Bogus Facebook doctor Kingsley Leeto Chele, has been rearrested in Vosloorus after escaping custody. The arrest took place in the early hours of Monday, 16 October 2023, following a tip-off from a media house. The Gauteng police management commends the media and the community for their assistance in apprehending the wanted fugitive.

Kingsley Chele, whose country of birth is yet to be confirmed, is scheduled to appear before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 17 October 2023. In addition to the charges he was already facing, he will now be charged with escaping from lawful custody.

The bogus doctor had been on the run since last week. His initial arrest in October was in relation to two cases of fraud reported in Sunnyside and Klipgat in June. According to police spokesperson Mavela Masondo, Chele targeted women on Facebook, posing as a doctor or pharmacist.

“Under the aliases Dr Kingsley Chele or Dr KJ Ncube, he would contact healthcare professionals on Facebook, engaging them in conversations where he pretended to seek investors. In reality, he swindled them out of thousands of rands for non-existent projects,” Masondo explained.

Chele was previously denied bail by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court and was due to appear in court again on Tuesday. The investigating officer has involved the Asset Forfeiture Unit to assist in seizing the accused’s assets, believed to have been acquired through criminal activities. These assets include a 2023 VW Golf GTI.

On 11 October 2023, Chele managed to escape from lawful custody while the police were cataloging his household items at his residence. Since then, he has been evading capture. A case of escape from lawful custody has been registered at SAPS Honeydew,” Masondo added.