J&L robbery – Two arrested in Mineralia after whistle-blower reads story on our website
Two suspects are behind bars after holding 10 employees at gunpoint before making off with between R200 000 to R800 000 of equipment.
J&L Lining and Construction was targeted last Wednesday at 21:20 while the night-shift crew were on a tea break.
According to Johan Oberholzer, Operational Manager at Mid Alarms, at least seven suspects, two armed with 9mm pistols, targeted the engineering firm by tying up the employees and stealing a variety of equipment, including CO2 welders and grinders.
The robbers made use of a truck and a VW Polo as getaway vehicles and to transport their loot.
Johan explained that the arrest of two suspects followed an anonymous tip-off after the truck was sighted by a whistle-blower.
“The person who gave the lead saw the article previously published on the Middelburg Observer’s website and recognised the truck.”
Upon receiving the tip-off, Mid Alarms alerted the police and responded to a property in Mineralia, where the truck was parked.
The owner of the truck and the driver were both arrested after being found in possession of some of the stolen equipment, including CO2 welders and grinders.
The investigation was handed over to the police and the suspects are due to appear in court tomorrow (Wednesday).
Johan suspects that the syndicate behind the robbery at J&L Lining were involved in a robbery at the construction site of the new hotel at Middelburg Mall.
The incident took place last Thursday evening, following the same modus operandi seen in the J&L robbery.
An unknown total of suspects arrived in a truck, overpowering and tying up security guards from TSW Security, before making off with a roll of copper cables and other equipment.
“It’s interesting to note that during J&L Lining and Construction’s robbery, the suspects were overheard by employees looking for copper in particular. We assume once they found that J&L didn’t have any copper, they refused to leave empty-handed and decided to take what they could,” Johan said.
• Video footage of the robbery at J&L Lining and Construction has been obtained. Several employees are observed loading some of the stolen goods after being forced into aiding the criminals. The suspects could not be identified by the footage but can be clearly seen pulling the truck into the loading bay, on which the stolen equipment was loaded.
• James de Wet, Director of J&L Lining and Construction, wished to thank Mid Alarms, the police, the Middelburg Observer and the anonymous whistle-blower for being instrumental in the arrest of the two suspects. A formal thank you can be read in this week’s copy of the Middelburg Observer.
@middelburgobserver Armed robbery at J&L Lining #Middelburg #robbery #crime
Also read:
Investigation launched after armed robbery at engineering firm
