Home invasion criminals wreak havoc in Kanye
The once-calm Kanye village has now turned into a haven for criminals who pounce on residents and rob them.
This has led to the Botswana Police Service suspecting that home invaders who have been terrorising Greater Gaborone residents have been relocating to villages on the outskirts of the city as cases escalate. Kanye police have since issued a warning in the wake of the rising incidents in the village as there are rising reports of attacks on retirees and the business community. According to the police, residents of the Bangwaketse capital are now living in fear of criminals who also use violence in the process to rob their victims.
Kanye Police Station commander, Superintendent Mogomotsi Matlapeng told The Monitor that thieves are having a field day by breaking into people’s homes, thereby turning the village into a home invasion hot spot. He stated that in January this year, they recorded three cases in which property valued at P136,270 was stolen.
“[In] February, we recorded two cases in which property valued at P3,700 was stolen. In March, we also recorded two cases in which property valued at P7,200 was stolen while in April, the numbers escalated to six cases and property valued at P31,295 was stolen. We have since established that these criminals target retired elderly people who usually stay alone and the business community,” Matlapeng said.
He added they have established that there is a group of young men who attack people in their sleep and take their valuables by force. Matlapeng said the said criminals go around in possession of offensive weapons like knives, axes, machetes, metal rods and screwdrivers which they use to threaten people. He said: “Usually, they target cash, mobile phones, laptops and other valuable electronic gadgets hence we plead with residents to avoid resistance or fighting back because doing so could put their lives at risk. However, we have recently arrested six men aged 18 to 35 who are currently in custody for investigations. We suspect that they might be part of the gang that has been terrorising Kanye residents but investigations into the matter are ongoing.”
Matlapeng further stated that it is usually hard for victims to identify the criminals because they attack them at night when it’s dark and equally the intruders would be wearing facemasks, making their efforts to curb the situation difficult.
He called on community members to strengthen their neighbourhood watch clusters to partner with and help each other fight crime in their communities because the police alone cannot manage to fight crime without residents’ involvement.