Police bust gang of six for house break-ins
Bonte Seepi | Thursday September 7, 2017 13:22
Mahalapye police station commander, Superintendent Isaac Mamadi said the men were arrested on Sunday afternoon after some of them were caught stealing. The suspected gang members were severely beaten by some of their victims. The suspects have not yet appeared in court as some are still nursing serious injuries from the mob violence.
“After arresting the suspects, we raided the others’ homes and managed to arrest them. Of late, Mahalapye villagers have been terrorised by thieves who steal electronic gadgets, especially during the day,” he said.
Two other suspects are still on the run and none of the stolen goods have been recovered. The police suspect that the property was passed onto buyers. According to Mamadi, this weekend alone, the police registered seven house break-ins, with three in Xhosa ward, three in Mooko ward and one in Thomadithotse ward. “Our concern is that these crimes are committed by young boys who are school dropouts,” he said.
He said in all the incidents, the thieves have targetted electronic equipment, particularly laptops and open view decoders. In many of the weekend cases, the burglars found their way into the houses during the day while the owners were at work. “In one case, which happened at Xhosa ward, they got into the house while a 15-year-old girl was present, but she did not hear anything during the incident.
“The young woman told the police that she was not aware of the theft until she was interrogated by her parents when they knocked off at work.”
Mamadi said it was hoped the situation will calm down with the arrest of the six men. “We have a problem with the number of passages between yards and abandoned houses which make it difficult for us to patrol especially at night.
“We are calling on the public to help us find the remaining suspects who are still on the run.
“I would however like to urge the public to refrain from taking the law into their hands, as that is a criminal offence,” he said.