Ga-Rankuwa enjoyed a relatively quiet Easter weekend on the crime front, with fewer incidents reported than previously. Police arrested 38 suspects for various offences, including road traffic violations, public drinking, drunk driving, armed robbery and theft. According to the Ga-Rankuwa police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Matthews Nkoadi, many drunk driving cases were opened at the station. “We were involved in a number of operations across the area. We aimed to combat all criminal activities that are prevalent during the Easter holidays. During the operation, a number of motor vehicles were stopped and we found that some of the drivers were operating thier vehicles while drunk,” said Nkoadi.
“Although it was a quite weekend, many of the suspects that we arrested did not obey the traffic rules,” he said. “One of the major incidents that took place involved a resident who was knocked down and killed by a car on the Mabopane freeway. The victim is in the Ga-Rankuwa mortuary and the suspect was released on bail,” he said.
Nkoadi asked anybody with a missing relative to visit the government mortuary to see if they could identify the victim. “We also arrested a couple of suspects who were charged with malicious damage to property, shoplifting and assault with the intention to cause grievous bodily harm,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nkoadi told Record that the problem of suspects following potential victims from banks persisted. Three residents were robbed after drawing money from banks. The police opened a case of armed robbery after a resident was robbed of R14 000 two weeks ago. “The victim was approached by two men after making a cash withdrawal at the bank in Ga-Rankuwa Mall. What we have realised in these cases, is that all the suspects in these ‘bank following’ cases seem to be working with a woman,” he said.
Nkoadi added that recently, the police opened a case after a man was robbed of R6 000 in similar circumstances. The victim mentioned that the suspects were with a woman in a van. To date, no arrests have been made. The police urged residents to travel in groups when needed to withdraw large amounts of money.
