A 24-year-old woman from Johannesburg faced the full brunt of the law after she was accused of forging critical documents.

Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, the spokesperson of the South African Police Service (SAPS) told IOL that the suspect was detained on February 4 after the police received a tip-off.

The woman allegedly ran an elaborate, fraudulent, yet fully operational Department of Home Affairs out of a leased flat in Berea, Gauteng.

Scrolla Africa reported that the woman is South African-born but of Congolese origin.

The media outlet reported that when law enforcement arrived at the residence, the alleged fraud mastermind was still busy working on her system and that she attempted to burn some of the documents, but it was a little too late.

When the police acted on the alert, she was allegedly found with hundreds of passports from other nations, as well as South African birth certificates, ID cards, passports, work permits, visas, and even travel papers.

Additionally, the authorities seized significant technology suspected to have been used in the alleged forging of the documents, including computers, hard drives, scanners printers, and more devices.

"She has since appeared before Hillbrow Magistrates' court on charges of fraud and forgery," said Nevhuhulwi.

In a similar case, on January 23, police officers were detained by the Hawks for allegedly forging Home Affairs statements and securing bail for foreign nationals who then disappear.

The two police sergeants, Ethel Ndifheleni Baloyi and John Moeketsi Maoba, both 42, were charged with 12 charges of fraud and 12 counts of undermining the administration of justice.

Subsequently, they were released on R1,000 bail each.

IOL