Johannesburg - Four men believed to be linked to several robberies at the TLC Children’s Home in Eikenhof, south of Joburg, were arrested on Tuesday after police received information from local residents.
Last Wednesday, three teenagers were abducted from the children’s home after a hijacked City of Joburg ambulance was used to gain entry onto the property. The boys were forced into the ambulance, taken to a remote location, beaten and robbed of their possessions, including their shoes and cellphones.
Later that evening, police noticed the ambulance driving recklessly, tried to pull it over, and a shootout erupted. The criminals escaped on foot. Two paramedics were injured.
“Mondeor police have been working tirelessly to apprehend the six men responsible,” police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said.
He said police raided a home in the Jackson informal settlement near Eikenhof at about 5am on Tuesday.
“The four men were arrested and found to be in possession of two unlicensed firearms, a driving licence belonging to the driver of the hijacked ambulance used, stolen goods and the stolen cellphones,” Makhubele said.
He said the four men were terrorising the area and linked to a home invasion and robbery on November 7, where the owner of house was injured and his firearm stolen.
“We'll look for the other two suspects. We'll find them, there is nowhere for them to hide,” Makhubele said.
TLC founding director Thea Jarvis was elated by the news of the arrests.
“We can sleep again, it’s got to be them, they had my sons’ jackets and cellphones. It’s a relief, I’m so happy.”
Jarvis said the past few days hadn't been easy for her or her children.
“It has been traumatic, the boys are going for counselling and we haven’t been getting much sleep.”
There were two robberies at TLC earlier this month. On November 11, Jarvis was held at gunpoint and later thrown across her bedroom after the robbers were disturbed. Several nights before, laptops, cellphones and R17 000 were stolen during another break-in.
Jarvis congratulated and thanked the SAPS for its hard work and dedication in dealing with the robberies.
“I’m so proud of them, they did a brilliant job. They found my boys, they brought them home and now they’ve found those responsible. I can honestly say that today I’m proudly South African,” Jarvis said.
@Lanc_02
The Star