Three suspects, arrested on Friday in connection with an attempted house robbery in Lyttelton, were released on Monday morning after briefly appearing in the Centurion Magistrate’s Court.
Vilkeni Cambell, Thompson Dlamine and Andani Mukondeleli, aged between 25 and 30 from Atteridgeville, were arrested on charges of house robbery and theft. According to Warrant Officer Antoine Botha, the magistrate ruled the case out of court due to a lack of evidence.
According to Captain Phillip Heydenrych, the four men have been sought by the police for some time now in connection with a series of burglaries. Gideon du Rand (43), a member of the CPF Sector 1, said the CPF suspected that the three men arrested on Friday could be linked to two robberies that took place in Valhalla a week earlier.
Du Rand explained that on 31 January, five men in a silver BMW broke into his premises and stole electrical appliances worth R7 000.
“I am not as upset about the stolen goods as I am about the damage the suspects caused to the house.”
According to Du Rand, the damage that was done to the house is around R15 000’s worth. The men allegedly broke down three doors, destroying one. Du Rand was at his workplace in Bryanston when a security company notified him of the break-in, which took place between 11:42 and 11:51.
On video footage taken by Du Rand’s surveillance camera, he compared the suspect’s vehicle with the BMW that was used at the house in Station Street. He said the vehicle had four prominent features that could be linked to the different house robberies – silver in colour, a sunroof, a towbar and the same type of mags.
According to Du Rand, another house robbery took place less than 1km from his house on the same day.
“It is, however, uncertain whether the robbery took place before or after the robbery at my house,” Du Rand said.
According to eyewitnesses, the same vehicle and suspects were also possibly involved. The Wierdabrug police spokesperson, Captain Agnus Huma, said the police were still investigating the robbery in Valhalla and could not confirm the possible connection between the robberies. and the three released men.
The Lyttelton police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Hero Gumbu was, however, not available for comment.
See video footage of the burglary here:
Rekord reported earlier: https://rekordcenturion.co.za/13599/three-alleged-house-robbers-arrested-2/
