Happy ending as stolen photos recovered

A CHATSWORTH woman had her prayers answered when valuable photographs were returned after they had been stolen in a robbery.

The woman, who asked to be only identified as “Rose”, said it was the “hand of God” that returned the valuable photographs of her husband, who died four years ago.

The photographs were kept in a briefcase and they were the only pictures the family had of her late husband.

A local security company spokesman, Brian Jackson, of Blue Security, said the photographs were stolen during a home invasion last Tuesday.

“The woman had been home alone when four robbers arrived in a white bakkie and ransacked the property, before fleeing with valuables including jewellery, a television, a wallet and the briefcase containing irreplaceable family documents and photographs,” he said.

Rose said: “When I went to the police station (to report the crime) I just prayed to God that these guys might think they don’t need it, and that they would leave it where someone could find it.”

Later on the day of the robbery, a resident spotted a man with a briefcase running into bush on Queen Elizabeth Avenue, and alerted a security company, whose officer happened to be nearby.

On seeing the security officer, the man ran away and dropped the briefcase.

Jackson said: “The secur- ity officer inspected the contents and found that it contained important documents and sentimental photographs, which were obviously extremely valuable to the owner of the briefcase, but of no value to anyone else, and would likely be destroyed if handed in, but not claimed, at the local police station.”

He said the officer who found the briefcase knockedoff and another officer took over and tracked down the woman. They were able to find who the owner was through a business card that was in the briefcase.

Rose said it was a miracle the security officer had found and returned her photographs and documents. “I pray that God gives him multiple blessings and long life,” she said.