Durban - Metro Police recovered electricity cables worth more than R1.5 million in a sting operation, on Tuesday.
After receiving a tip off, the Metro Police K9 unit and South African Police Services conducted a sting operation in which three cable drums with hundreds of metres of cable was confiscated from a Clairwood scrapyard. One person was arrested.
Metro Police Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said, “We commend the men for the quick action in apprehending the suspects. A case was opened at the Montclair Police Station. One person was arrested and two other suspects were taken in for questioning. Further investigations are being conducted.
"Cable theft is seen to be a serious crime that costs the city millions of rand each year," he said. "The cables are usually stripped and sold to scrap metal dealers or sold to unscrupulous people who connect electricity illegally."
The city's communications department appealed to the public to report cable theft to their nearest police station.