Durban - A quick thinking armed response officer and a local businessman arrested an alleged rapist on the Berea.
Captain Nqobile Gwala, a KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, said it is alleged that in the early hours of Monday, a 38-year-old woman was raped at Montpelier Road in Morningside by an unknown man who offered her a lift.
"A 29-year-old suspect was arrested for rape. A case of rape was opened for investigation at Berea SAPS. The docket is now investigated by Durban Central FCS Unit. The man will appear in the Durban Magistrates Court," Gwala said.
Blue Security community and media liaison officer Andreas Mathios said an alleged rape victim had approached one of the company’s armed response officers for assistance.
“One of our officers was patrolling the Berea when a woman approached him advising that she had just been raped. She was able to direct the officer to the whereabouts of the suspect in the area. Our officer and a local businessman climbed over the wall of a nearby property and arrested the suspect,” Mathios said.
Berea police trauma counsellors attended the scene to assist the victim.
Meanwhile, Police are still searching for a group of robbers that held up a tattersalls at the Gem City complex in Phoenix on Sunday.
Gwala said that the complainant and her colleagues were performing their duties and at her place of employment when three unknown men entered the place.
"The men held them up and robbed them of an undisclosed amount of cash. As the suspects left the building, they came across security guards who had come to guard the premises as the premises were closing." she said.
"There was an exchange of gunshots fired between the guards and the suspects. No injuries were sustained by anyone. The suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. A case of robbery is being investigated by Phoenix police," Gwala said.
Prem Balram of private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) said one of his guards escaped injury following the gun battle with heavily armed robbers.
"The Reaction Officer was on bike patrol at a business premises in the Gem City Complex at approximately 18:50 when he was informed of an armed robbery in progress at a Tattersalls. One suspect positioned himself in the parking lot and began firing rapidly with a high caliber rifle resulting in shoppers fleeing for cover,"Balram said.