A Middelburg resident is urging members of the public to come forward with information after his work laptop was stolen from his vehicle in the CBD last week.

Simphiwe Radebe said the incident took place at a shopping centre on February 11, when he briefly stopped in town. On returning to his vehicle, he discovered that his laptop, which had been inside the car, was missing.

Radebe explained that he is certain he locked his vehicle using the remote control before he left.

After noticing the theft, he approached nearby businesses for assistance. They provided him with access to outside CCTV footage, which clearly captured how the crime unfolded.

“It was a group of four who worked together,” said Radebe. “One of them ran up to my vehicle when I stopped and opened the back door slightly without me noticing. When I left, another one opened the door and took the laptop out of its bag. He then handed it to another person, who casually put it under his T-shirt and walked away towards the taxi rank and into town.”

The footage shows the entire sequence, and a clear image of the individual who walked away with the laptop.

Radebe is asking anyone who may recognise the person in the photo to contact him on 073 655 8340 or report information to the Middelburg Police Station.

• Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane, provincial police media spokesperson, granted permission to the Observer to publish the photo, as it may assist police in their investigation.

• The stolen item is a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop. The serial number has already been provided to the police as part of the case.