CAPE TOWN - A 53-year-old cop is expected to make a court appearance on Tuesday for allegedly tampering with evidence at the crime scene of a business robbery earlier this year.
The cop, attached to Thembalethu SAPS, is expected to appear at the Thembalethu Magistrate’s Court and faces a charge of defeating the ends of justice.
"A police officer attached to Thembalethu SAPS was arrested on March 18 for tampering with evidence in connection to a business robbery at Puma garage in Thembalethu, George on January 31,“ said Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani.
“This comes after a search-and-seizure operation that was steered by the Hawks’ team in the office of the suspect that led to the discovery of empty cartridges that were removed from the crime scene. It is reported that on the day of the business robbery, a shoot-out ensued between the police and the suspects,” said Hani.
The Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team arrested the suspect after the team determined that the suspect had removed evidence from the scene. The police captain is being held in custody.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a 36-year-old suspect is expected to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for a charge of dealing in drugs after a high speed chase that ended in a crash on Thursday last week.
Hani said: “It is alleged that the Hawks’ South African Narcotics Enforcement Bureau team in Cape Town together with Crime Intelligence Counter Narcotics tried to pull him over yesterday, after they reacted to information about a vehicle that was transporting mandrax tablets.
“Police report that the suspect took off, resulting in a chase that ended in the Tokai area near Cape Town with a two vehicle crash shortly after 3.45pm. The vehicle was then searched and approximately 82 000 mandrax tablets were found in the boot with an estimated street value of more than R3.2 million," said Hani.
Cape Times