A Midrand man had been arrested after allegedly selling stolen laptops from his car’s boot at East Rand Mall.
Over 30 laptops, tablets and fraudulent documents, possibly belonging to banks, medical institutes and a security company, were among the items recovered by the Ekurhuleni Central Tactical Team after they had arrested the 35-year-old man at the mall on Thursday last week.
The provincial police spokesperson, Capt Mavela Masondo, said an intelligence-driven operation was launched upon receiving information of a man selling laptops from the boot of a vehicle parked at the mall.
The operation further led police to the man’s house in Midrand where they recovered the rest of the items listed above, Masondo said.
“Gauteng police adopted, as part of the Safer Festive Season Operations, a strategy to heighten police visibility at identified crime hot spots, including shopping malls. It is, therefore, encouraging that our operations are yielding successes,” said Masondo.
“What’s even more heart-warming is the collaboration between security companies, business and communities with law enforcement agencies, consistently providing critical information to the police, leading to the arrest of those who continue to undermine the rule of law,” said provincial commissioner of police in Gauteng, Lt Gen Deliwe de Lange.
Members of the public are urged to refrain from purchasing second-hand goods from suspicious, unlicensed or unregistered sellers and rather report these sellers to the police because chances are a victim could have been murdered during a robbery where the items being sold were acquired unlawfully.
The suspect will face a charge of possession of suspected stolen property.
