A 41-year-old man was arrested moments after he stole a handbag from a house in Brooklyn on Friday morning, Pretoria police said.
The man was traced after he withdrew money from a nearby ATM, using a bank card he found in the stolen handbag, Captain Colette Weilbach said.
"While reporting the case at the Brooklyn police station, the complainant got a notice (through an sms message) that a transaction was made on her account at an ATM in Duncan street," Weilbach said.
She said police immediately rushed to a nearby petrol station where the ATM is situated.
"The lady whose handbag was stolen identified the man as the one who broke into the house and the suspect was arrested on the spot... the stolen bank card and cash he had just withdrawn were found on him," Weilbach said.
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However, the handbag, along with other contents, was still missing.
The man ran into the 53-year-old woman's house shortly after she opened her doors to let the dogs out at 4.45am.
"The woman was startled to hear the dogs barking viciously and just then, she saw a man in overalls running towards her. Before she could close the door, the suspect pushed it open, grabbed her handbag and fled," Weilbach said.
The Mamelodi East resident was expected to appear in the Hatfield community court on Monday, facing charges of housebreaking and theft. - Sapa
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