Port Elizabeth - Dedicated teamwork by South African Police Service (SAPS) detectives in Hankey, west of Port Elizabeth, has led to the successful apprehension of ten suspects, aged between 21 and 51, and the recovery of stolen cellphone tower batteries and equipment worth more than R100 000, the SAPS in the Eastern Cape said on Saturday.
The SAPS team received information about stolen property being stashed in Centerton in Hankey, Captain Khaya Tonjeni said in a statement.
The ten suspects were arrested in the early hours of Friday morning after the back-up cellphone tower batteries, network regulators, compressors, and other electronic equipment were found in their possession.
The suspects were due to appear in the Hankey Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, April 28, on charges relating to possession of suspected stolen property. Eastern Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga had commended the officers for their dedication and commitment to their vocation, Tonjeni said.
In an unrelated incident in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, police officers from the eThekwini SAPS central field unit conducted an intelligence-driven operation to hunt down robbery suspects hiding out in KwaMashu. The operation conducted late on Friday night resulted in the arrest of two suspects, aged 26 and 29, Brigadier Jay Naicker said.
"Police pounced on the first suspect, who was at a shopping centre. However, he fled into dense bushes when he spotted the police. The police officers gave chase and he was eventually apprehended after an extensive search of the area," he said.
The suspect, 29, was alleged to have entered a shop on Mahatma Gandhi Road with his accomplices last month and stole groceries, cellphones, and airtime vouchers. Following his arrest he was detained at the Point Police Station on charges of robbery. He would appear in the Durban Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, joining his four co-accused who were already in custody.
The operation continued and led to the arrest of a second wanted suspect who had fled and hid in a stormwater drain when he spotted police arriving in KwaMashu. It was alleged that on March 6, a 63-year-old man had just withdrawn cash from a bank on Mahatma Gandhi Road when he was attacked by an unknown man who robbed him of his money.
A case of robbery was opened at the Point Police Station for investigation. Rigorous investigation by police led them to the 26-year-old suspect, who would also appear in the Durban Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Naicker said.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Khombinkosi Jula praised the police officers for successfully apprehending the suspects.
“We will continue to hunt down wanted suspects relentlessly, and those that commit crimes in this province should always be looking over their shoulders, as we will pounce on them at any given time, no matter where they choose to hide,” he said.