Cape Town - Police in Cape Town have arrested a foreign national in possession of expensive watches, gemstones and what are presumed to be uncut diamonds with an estimated value of R8 million.
In a statement released on Tuesday, provincial police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the suspect was arrested on Monday by members of the Maitland Flying Squad.
He said officers followed up on information about a stolen watch at a pawn shop in Cape Town.
They recovered the watch and while searching the premises officers found a further 51 expensive watches.
“The members continued to search the premises and found a lot of presumed uncut diamonds and different coloured gemstones. A total of 544 gemstones were seized,” Van Wyk said, adding that the estimated value of all the items that were confiscated is R8 million.
The 45-year-old suspect was arrested on charges of possession of stolen property and is being detained at the Cape Town Central police station.
Van Wyk said the suspect is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
In an unrelated incident, two suspects aged 26 and 28 were arrested in Zwelitsha in Nyanga for the possession of an imitation firearm and four rounds of ammunition.
Police reacted to information received about a firearm at a residence and recovered the items.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court once charged.
In Delft, officers conducting a vehicle checkpoint arrested a 40-year-old suspect on the corners of Delft Main Road and Symphony Way after a .38 Taurus revolver and five rounds of ammunition were found in the white Toyota Avanza he was driving.
Van Wyk said the suspect could not provide a valid firearm licence and was detained.
African News Agency (ANA)