Three suspects, including municipal employee, charged for theft
A TLB was allegedly used to load the stolen chrome concentrate onto the truck. Three suspects were arrested and appeared in court.
THE metro police’s street crime unit uncovered a large-scale theft operation involving stolen chrome concentrate in Clairwood recently.
The police raided a yard on Richborough Road, where they found a substantial quantity of chrome concentrate being loaded onto a side tipper truck.
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Chrome concentrate is a crystalline mineral that is used in the production of various industrial and consumer products, including stainless steel, super alloys, and chrome plating.
A TLB (tractor loader backhoe) was allegedly used to load the chrome concentrate onto the truck.
According to a police report, the TLB belongs to the eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) department. The driver of the TLB was an off-duty EWS employee who was arrested along with two other suspects.
“The police preliminary investigation revealed that around 60 tons of chrome concentrate, believed to have been stolen from the Durban Harbour, were recovered. The stolen material is suspected to be part of a broader theft operation targeting industrial resources,” says the statement.
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The three suspects, including the off-duty EWS employee, were charged and appeared before the Durban Magistrate’s Court. The trio were granted bail, and are due to reappear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court soon.
The metro police in the Clairwood policing precinct have vowed to intensify their efforts to root out criminal activities in the Clairwood area and surrounding communities.
The investigation into the stolen chrome concentrate is ongoing, and authorities have not ruled out further arrests as they continue to probe the operation.
Attempts to get a comment from the spokesperson for metro police, Boysie Zungu, were unsuccessful.
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