Standerton’s KSS takes down cable theft suspect and graveyard vandals
Children from the area watching the take-down clapped, cheered and high-fived the Kasselman reaction team as they loaded the suspect into the vehicle to be transported to the police station.
Four suspects were arrested on May 14 following cable theft that left the Show Grounds and several surrounding areas without electricity.
Three suspects were arrested earlier in the day after Kasselman Security Services (KSS) received reports of the men vandalising gravesites.
The trio dismantled metal enclosures meant to protect graves and were allegedly planning to sell these metal bars to a local scrapyard.
Kasselman took the three suspects into custody and, when questioned, they revealed the identity of a fourth man suspected of cable theft, as well as the location of the scrapyard where he allegedly sold the copper cables.
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The men in custody described the suspect as wearing a brown school jersey and short pants. Kasselman officers raced to the scrapyard and searched the premises with the help of Mandla Mphuthi, a Lekwa Local Municipality security official.
They found casings believed to have been used to secure copper wiring and sent them for further testing to determine their origin.
After speaking to staff at the scrapyard, KSS confirmed the suspect’s description and received information about his whereabouts.
Mphuthi led the way to a house in Stanwest, where the Kasselman reaction team dispersed and searched the area.
A Kasselman official spotted a man matching the description, and the team leapt into action.
When the suspect attempted to run after he realised he had been spotted, a reaction officer tackled him to the ground.
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While apprehending the suspect, KSS also confiscated syringes of illegal substances from the man. A Kasselman official noticed a knife tucked in at the man’s side and confiscated the weapon as well.
Children from the area watching the take-down clapped, cheered and high-fived the Kasselman reaction team as they loaded the suspect into the vehicle to be transported to the police station. He was detained and questioned along with the three other suspects.
“The rush of adrenaline one gets when finally catching a criminal is incomparable,” said André Kasselman, who was present on the case since the initial report.
The investigation into the case is still ongoing.
