Suspected cable thieves nabbed in Bartlett

Swift response from an alert community member led to the arrest of 11 suspected cable thieves near the corner of Ridge and Trichardts roads, Bartlett, on the morning of July 11.

The community member, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said he received a call from a family member informing him about two men digging up cables in the road.

He said upon investigation he noticed that there were several people and vehicles involved.

The community member said the suspects claimed to be from a private company, but something did not appear to be in order about how they were operating and removing the cables.

“I kept eyes on them for about 40 minutes from just past 08:00, and got footage and photos as they were pulling the cables from the soil and loading them it into vehicles – two white Toyota Hilux bakkies,” said the resident, also a member of Legendary Guardians Exclusive Protection.

The community member then asked for backup on the relevant security platforms as he did not want to investigate further on his own.

“Members from various security companies assisted me and helped me to take down the 11 suspects. There were four rolls of copper cable at the scene,” he said.

The resident said units involved include Legendary Guardians Exclusive Protection, GVS Tactical, AAA Alarms, NoJack Vehicle, Tracking, Boksburg North CPF Sector One, Graphite Security, Boksburg North SAPS and CPI.

Boksburg North businessman Beric Tempest welcomed the apprehension of the alleged cable thieves.

“This is fantastic news. I have been concerned about theft in Boksburg North for months now.

“We even noticed holes have been dug in First Street, but we managed to close these before they could come back to finish the job and steal the cable,” said Tempest.
Tempest said he did report the attempted cable theft to law enforcement.

The businessman added that it sometimes takes 48 hours for electricity to be restored after cable theft.

Boksburg North SAPS spokesperson Constable Khakhathi Siphoro confirmed the arrests.
She could not disclose any other details as investigations continue.

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