Cape Town – Allowing their BMW to run out of fuel ended up being the downfall of alleged copper cable thieves
On Tuesday, officers attached to the City's Rail Enforcement Unit received a tip-off from a member of the public of occupants in a BMW attempting to sell railway infrastructure cable at a scrap metal dealer in Epping, City of Cape Town Law Enforcement spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout said on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately for the suspects their vehicle ran out of fuel and they came to halt not far from the scrap dealer's premises.
"The officers arrived and spotted the vehicle being pushed towards the BP garage in Epping. The officers observed the situation from a distance and as the suspect was busy refuelling, the officers pounced," Bezuidenhout said.
"They discovered overhead contact cables (copper). The estimated weight of the cables are 33kg, with a scrap value of about R2 317.
"The suspect, who is also a bucket shop owner in Belhar, was arrested for being in possession of stolen property and, secondly, in terms of the CMA act. The suspect was detained at the Elsies River SAPS."