A company employee refused to go down alone and ratted out his accomplices after being caught stealing copper cables worth R5 000.
The 20-year-old Zimbabwean national was arrested after failing to out-run Const Mongalo of Sebenza SAPS.
According to spokesman, Const Sharon Tsotsotso (formerly Mahamba), the suspect is an employee at a construction company hired to renovate a Terrace Road, Sebenza business.
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“The young man allegedly called in two of his friends, also Zimbabweans, from Jeppestown in Johannesburg to help him with the crime,” Tsotsotso explained.
“On Friday afternoon, March 20, after knocking off at about 5pm, the suspect joined his friends somewhere around Sebenza while they waited for the company premises to become empty.”
The three musketeers finally went in for the kill at about 10pm that night.
When they got there, they threatened the on-duty security guard with a knife, tied him up with his own shoelaces and took three cell phones from him and the company’s panic button.
“Luckily, Const Mongalo was patrolling in the area. When he went inside the premises to enquire, the suspects saw the officer and fled. The company employee was caught but his partners managed to run away.”
But refusing to go down alone, he led the police to his accomplices, aged 23 and 25, in Joburg. There, police found the security guard’s stolen cell phones, panic button as well as R5 000 worth of copper cables stolen from the company.
They were all charged with business robbery and possession of stolen copper cables.
In a separate incident the day before, two men were arrested for being in possession of R4 000 worth of copper cables.
The arrest was made by Const Matlwa while patrolling along Zuurfontein Road at about 1.30pm.
“When he approached the old Vaal Triangle College on Plane Road, he noticed a suspicious white bakkie and stopped it. Upon searching it, the officer found copper cables inside.”
When the men were questioned about the cables, they told Matlwa they worked for a construction company at Kelvin Power Station but still failed to account for having cables in their possession.
