UPDATE: Third suspect hands herself over in alleged R15m precious stones theft case
She is expected to make her first court appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court today (July 7).
A third suspect has handed herself over to police in connection with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (IPID) investigation into the alleged unlawful seizure and theft of precious stones worth nearly R15m from a private residence in Killarney, Johannesburg.
In an update issued on July 6, IPID confirmed that the suspect, whose name is known to the Boksburg Advertiser and who is from Boksburg, handed herself over at the Edenvale Police Station.
She is expected to make her first court appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court today (July 7).
The development comes after two suspects, Etienne van der Walt, who owns a Boksburg-based security company, and EMPD officer Adrian Mackenzie, appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday (July 6) following their arrests over the weekend.
Their case was postponed to July 16 for a formal bail hearing.
Also Read: Two arrested as IPID closes in on alleged R15m precious stones theft syndicate
IPID confirmed that they have now arrested three of the five living suspects linked to the investigation. One of the original six suspects identified during the investigation has since died, according to IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping.
The suspects include members of the EMPD, the JMPD, the Gauteng Traffic Police, and a businessman who allegedly posed as a police officer during the 2023 raid on the home.
According to IPID, the suspects allegedly conducted an unlawful search of a Killarney residence without a warrant and seized precious stones valued at just under R15m.
The directorate said the arrests of the remaining two suspects are imminent as the investigation continues.
Also Read: IPID arrests police officers for extortion
