Thieves target new BHC houses

ISAAC PINIELO
Correspondent | Wednesday January 13, 2010 00:00

Police acting station commander at Gerald, assistant superintendent Ontiretse Ditsweu has however said they have the situation under control following intensive patrols by police and security officers.

No arrests have been made in connection with these thefts although police believe they are an inside job.

BHC acting estate manager (North) Onalenna Manthe said the corporation has not been informed about the thefts since the houses are still in the hands of the contractors. She said the number of houses being built at Gerald Estate are 545 in total.

Meanwhile, assistant superintendent Ditsweu has appealed to people to stop using off-road and bushy paths as short cuts as this could put their lives at risk of being attacked by criminals. He said in many instances, people have been attacked and robbed of their belongings when walking between the bushes that separate Gerald Estates and Kgaphamadi.

He cited as an example a case in which a man was killed at a Gerald illegal dumping site in October last year. He said the man had been reported missing by his wife who had not seen or heard from him for some days.

He said he suspected that the man had been murdered then dumped when he had driven in his van to dump some garbage at the illegal dumping site but he was only found there after a few days when his wife reported him missing. He was found with what looked like a stab wound, said Ditsweu. No one has yet been arrested in connection with the case.

Ditsweu further warned that when people go to places like these, they should be in the company of at least one other person. He also urged Batswana to desist from assisting illegal immigrants in committing crime. He said without the help of citizens, immigrants would find it hard to pull off crime in this country as they are not familiar with the area.