Cape Town - Five suspects are expected to appear in the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court on charges of possession of alleged stolen property, and theft of vital infrastructure.
Simultaneously, four suspects are also scheduled to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court for possession of 18 stolen bicycles.
Police crime intervention teams had their hands full over the weekend, tracing unknown and known suspects.
In separate incidents, police arrested several suspects for possession of stolen items; business robberies; as well as illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and drugs.
In the first incident in Philadelphia, police through an integrated operation between the SAPS and Neighbourhood Watch members (NHW) apprehended five suspects aged between 31 and 49 years-old on charges of possession of alleged stolen property and theft of vital infrastructure in Philadelphia.
Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said: “Philadelphia police received information during the early hours of Friday from the Neighbourhood Watch that a suspicious vehicle with five occupants was driving in Adderley Road, Philadelphia.
“Officers arrived shortly after the information was relayed to them, and the vehicle was stopped. During questioning, the vehicle was searched and the officers discovered copper cables and an overhead conductor worth R10 000 inside the vehicle.
“Further investigation confirmed that they had stolen the cables from a farm in the Durbanville area. The suspects are due to appear in the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court today,” Van Wyk said.
In an incident on Saturday afternoon, police attached to the Maitland flying squad recovered 14 bicycles at a house in Bothasig, and another four bicycles at an address in the Wynberg area. The bicycles had been reported stolen earlier that day in the Maitland area.
Four suspects aged between 28 and 46 were arrested and detained at Bothasig police station. They are due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday for possession of stolen property.
In Montana, police attached to the provincial extortion task team were acting on information from a reliable source regarding illegal firearms and drugs at premises in Adriaan Louw Street, Montana.
“On arrival, officers recovered a Gabalondo CI Victoria 32 SW revolver and five 32 rounds in a drawer. After further searching the premises, mandrax with an estimated street value of R15 000 were also confiscated. No suspect was arrested as yet,” Van Wyk said.
Meanwhile, in Gugulethu, police arrested one suspect at a residence in NY113 Gugulethu for drug-trafficking. The suspect was caught with 467 Boss mandrax tablets worth over R20 000. The suspect is due to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court.