Update: #Nyaope Gang: “We shouldn’t have let them go”
“We can’t be keeping an eye on them."
Nearly two weeks after suspected members of the Nyaope gang that was allegedly terrorising community members in Muldersdrift, were set free, members of the public still have questions as to why they weren’t kept in custody.
Drift Reaction, a local security company, working with the Police Trio Task team, arrested the suspects on Thursday, 5 October. They were taken to the Muldersdrift Police station and released the next morning.
Also read: Outrage as suspected members of nyaope gang are set free
After the incident, the community had a meeting with the deputy cluster commander Leon Kruger and Colonel Swart, of the Trio Task Team.
“We had a long meeting where we reviewed the cases and situation regarding the Nyaope gang and their release,” said Shenan Cochrane, vice-chairperson of the Muldersdrift Community Policing Forum (CPF).
“It was concluded that Muldersdrift Police shouldn’t have released the suspects until the Trio Task Team had interviewed them. The deputy cluster commander instructed the Trio Task Team to put the entire investigation together, and the victims will be personally interviewed by the Trio Team detective and new statements taken. As long as all victims cooperate fully with him, we can expect arrests in the near future.”
Warrant Officer Masedi Masedi, spokesperson for Muldersdrift Police Station, said in an interview with the Roodepoort Northsider that the gang had been accused of a number of criminal incidents in the area, such as armed and house robberies, attempted murder, assault and theft, to list a few.
Also read: The mind of a nyaope addict
Masedi responded to the issue, saying he did not know where the name ‘Nyaope gang’ came from because the accused are youngsters, one (18) still in school and the other (24) pursuing a musical career.“They were arrested for possession of stolen items,” he confirmed.
Masedi added that the suspects had to be released because police could not link them to any of the crimes reported. Items such as a tablet, smartphone and jewellery were reportedly recovered from the suspects during their arrests. However, Masedi indicated that the tablet belonged to the school. “We confirmed with the school that the tablet was its property, and not stolen,” he explained.
When asked if police would keep an eye on the alleged gang, Masedi said, “We can’t be keeping an eye on them. There are so many robberies happening in this area. Therefore, we will be keeping an eye on every criminal activity perpetrated around here”.
The progress of the case will be monitored by Kruger. Concerns regarding the police will be dealt with directly by the Cluster Commander when she returns.
The CPF asked members of the community to give their statements to the police, saying: “Be available for interviews, ID parades, include all information – don’t leave anything out and make sure they get statements from everyone involved. We are not out of the woods yet, but they have heard our concerns and now, armed with all the facts, are going to assist us.”
Cochrane and Jacques Treptow from Drift Security will be contacting victims shortly.
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