Career criminal sentenced to 26 years
A career criminal was finally sentenced at the Pretoria Magistrates Court recently after a lengthy investigation by police.
A Lesotho national convicted of no fewer than 17 crimes has finally been put behind bars by Pretoria police.
Malafetsane Baboo had been keeping police busy since 2012, said Garsfontein police spokesperson Warrant Officer Milller said.
He mostly worked alone and was notorious for committing house burglaries in the same vicinity.
Baboo was recently convicted in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court and is serving a prison sentence of 26 years in prison after a lengthy police investigation.
He said Baboo told the court one of his crimes was selling dagga that he smuggled into South Africa.
His other crimes included house burglary, robbery, rape and sexual assault.
Miller said the police investigation began with a house being broken in in March 2012.
Another house robbery and a rape put police on Baboo’s track when they discovered he was the culprit in all three crimes.
One of the investigating officers, Detective Warrant Officer Pierre Botha, said several crimes were linked to Baboo after the the March 2012 burglary in Lyttelton.
Botha , a member of family violence child protection unit in the Sunnyside cluster, said a rape committed by Baboo after breaking into a house triggered his downfall.
“In the house were two women. One of the women was woken up by a noise, and went to investigate.”
Botha said Baboo saw the woman and forced her to another room, where he raped her.
Baboo fled the house after stealing numerous items, including the woman’s cellphone.
Botha said the cellphone was traced.
He and Detective Warrant Officer André Nell traced the cellphone and found another man now in possession of the stolen cellphone.
Police used this man to track down Baboo. He was cornered after numerous stakeouts and arrested where he was found walking near Erasmuskloof.
A docket was opened and his fingerprints taken. This was when police discovered how many crimes he could be linked to.
“Baboo would focus on robberies in the Waterkloof area,” said Botha. “He would break into a house, steal and later target a house not far from the one he had robbed.”
Baboo had been released on several counts before because of insufficient evidence and victims not testifying against him.
Miller said the investigating officers went beyond the line of duty to tally all charges linking Baboo to house robberies and rape cases.
“You do not get convictions like this, the two investigators along with their team made sure they went the extra mile to secure a conviction.,” he said.
“You do not link up 17 dockets without putting in the necessary hard work.”
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