Constables to face robbery charges

Two police constables are expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday on two charges of business robbery after Nashua Mobile was robbed on Wednesday morning, police said.

The Garsfontein police responded to a call at Moreleta Plaza at about 10:40, when five suspects entered the cell phone shop Nashua Mobile.

“Two of the suspects were armed and they forced the owner to open the safe. The suspects then fled with an undisclosed number of cell phones,” said police spokesperson, Lieutenant General Lesetja Mothiba, in a statement.

According to Mothiba, the constables, members of the Dennepoort Railway Policing Unit, were caught after the police received information that they were in a house in Nellmapius, Mamelodi. The police successfully retrieved the stolen cell phones, including laptops and R16 000 in cash. “Three firearms were also taken and they have been sent for ballistic testing,” he said.

Police are investigating the case and the remaining three suspects are still at large. “The investigation will be prioritised. Notices of contemplated suspension will be served on the constables while in custody and I have instituted an urgent internal investigation, which is to run concurrently with the criminal investigation,” said Mothiba.