The suspects were recently caught following a spree of destructive activities, including damaging water wells, stealing copper cables, worth P40,000 and vandalising submersible pumps valued at P2,000.
This unlawful behaviour left the owners in a precarious situation, depriving them of access to water for their crops and livestock. According to the Letlhakane police chief, Superintendent Michael Maphephu this situation has also unveiled a broader issue, as he expressed concerns about illegal immigrants working without permits or passports on local fields and later engaging in criminal activities. "Since then, we've come to understand that some people employ illegal immigrants without work permits or passports in their fields.
These same immigrants then terrorise defenceless locals within our police jurisdiction," he stated. Maphephu further disclosed that one person has been charged with promoting illegal immigration in this case. To prevent such incidents and identify illegal immigrants after they commit crimes, he urged the community to refrain from hiring them. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 12 reported cases of copper wire theft in the area. Maphephu noted that while some of the perpetrators have been apprehended, others remain at large.
In a related incident last week, Letlhakane police arrested three local security guards and an accomplice after discovering copper cable cuts valued at approximately P20,000 in their possession.
