Johannesburg - Steve the Shopper has been busy – although this time the slippery thief and fraudster met his match in a group of crime fighters.
Steven Glad was dubbed “Steve the Shopper” last year by online crime-fighting forum eBlockwatch because of his habit of stealing easy-to-carry valuables at show houses.
What made the sweet talker unique was the sheer number of thefts he allegedly carried out. He operated in well-to-do estates in several areas, including Pretoria and Ballito, in KwaZulu-Natal.
He would call estate agents and set up private viewings. While there he would distract the agent and slip jewellery, cellphones, cameras, tablets and other valuables into his pockets. He also stole fuel at petrol stations, allegedly driving off before paying and, at a previous job as a mining training practitioner, his former employer The Star he was dismissed for stock theft.
In May last year, Steve was arrested twice in three days. The first time he was let out because of a lack of evidence. The second case led to a conviction for theft and fraud, but before Steve could appear for sentencing he disappeared.
Stella van Niekerk, who is a member of eBlockwatch and who set up an estate agent forum to fight crime, started getting reports a month ago from agents that there was a man stealing goods at show houses across Ekurhuleni.
The man had called himself Jaco, Jano, Branco, Neels “or whatever he felt like”. He turned out to be none other than Steve the Shopper.
Van Niekerk got in touch with the reaction unit at Brakpan police station. Led by warrant officer Jan Roos, the team started gathering evidence of all the cases against the man and discovered 10 old cases against him on the system. There were four warrants for his arrest and one conviction. The unit also had six new cases against him that it was investigating.
Van Niekerk posted a picture of Steve on the eBlockwatch Facebook page and one woman called saying he was her neighbour. He was renting a room and was behind in his rent. The children’s bicycles had also gone missing.
A sting was set up and Roos and his team arrested Steve. Watches, SIM cards, cameras, jewellery and a tablet were found in his possession. A number of slips from pawn shops were also found.
All the cases against him have been combined and he has been denied bail twice.
“Maybe this time he will see the inside of a jail,” said Van Niekerk.
The Star