Update: Home raided after arms cache seized
A family says they have been left traumatised by a gang of cops.
THE plot thickens over the seizure of a cache of 17 high-powered weapons at a Marburg warehouse, owned by a prominent businessman, last week.
Since then:
* The same warehouse was apparently broken into and;
* The police followed up with a raid on a house in Oslo Beach last Sunday.
The owner of the house is now crying foul about the high-handed behavior of the police and is asking questions about why they were (allegedly) looking for money.
On Sunday, about 12 policemen, apparently from Durban, stormed the Oslo Beach home, allegedly as a follow-up to the seizure of the firearms at Marburg warehouse (as reported in last week’s Herald).
The whole saga is clouded in secrecy and not even local police sources know much about the operation.
The owner of the home (who did not want to be named and was in hospital at the time of the raid) said police ransacked the place in front her elderly mother, 21-year-old son and other young children, aged eight, nine and six months.
“My children were so traumatised that they didn’t go to school the next day,” she said.
“I was in hospital and my husband was out of town when the police pulled up in the driveway in a Kombi and a van.
“They were in uniform and just barged into my home without a search warrant.
“This crew conducted themselves in an undignified manner and the children were terrified. I want this to be investigated by the department as these men seem to think they are above the law.”
She said they ‘turned every room up-side-down’ and even ordered her son to fetch a ladder so they could search the ceiling.
“They pointed a rifle at my 21-year-old son and escorted him around the house while videoing him. They were arrogant, rude and spoke badly to my mother (69). They wouldn’t allow my daughter to use the toilet or phone my husband.”
One of the children said she overheard the policeman say they were ‘looking for money’.
“We have nothing to hide. I have no objection to them coming into my home and conducting a search, but they should have done it in a dignified way. We are not criminals.”
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid said that the acting station commander of Port Shepstone police station had tasked local police members to obtained statements from the home owner and other occupants as part of their own investigation.
However, it was confirmed that 17 firearms were seized from the warehouse. They were stored there for purposes unknown at this stage.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Captain Nqobile Gwala also said the matter was being investigated.
“Apparently, the police members were acting on intelligence.”
Lt-Col Wiid confirming that Port Shepstone detectives were also investigating a break-in at the same warehouse on Friday, June 3, as reported by a man (37).
“Certain items were allegedly removed from the premises without permission. The case is still under investigation,” she said.
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