‘Detained’ man arrested again for same crime
EMPD officers who arrested a Vosloorus man on November 21 for possession of an unlicensed firearm are now puzzled by how the man was initially released from custody after he was arrested for a similar crime before.
Following his arrest, the suspect was taken to the local police station by the EMPD, who handed him over to the local SAPS to be charged and detained. Interrogators then established the man had recently been arrested and detained at the same police station for the same crime.
According to EMPD media liaison officer Kobeli Mokheseng, in both crime dockets, the serial numbers of the firearms had been filed off, making it difficult for forensics to trace the firearm’s history.
Mokheseng confirmed that during his first arrest, the man was subsequently taken to the Vosloorus Police Station, where he was processed and detained.
“But here he is again found with an unlicensed firearm,” exclaimed Mokheseng.
Detectives have been unable, at the time of going to print, to establish whether the two firearms were of the same make and calibre.
Meanwhile, Vosloorus community members have commended the EMPD officers for the arrest.
“One wonders how many people have been victims of his gun-toting criminal tactics,” said Olga Phefile of Marimba Gardens.
Alfred Mashogoe, a security guard at a local shopping complex, said: “This goes to show what can happen when alert law-enforcement officers keep their ears on the ground and their eyes focused.”
