Man held, phones and jewellery recovered in Kwazakhele raid

A PORT Elizabeth man was arrested during a police raid on his home in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Police raided the house in Mahambahlala Street, Kwazakhele, at about 1.45am, after receiving a tip-off that a firearm and suspected stolen items were hidden in the house, police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said.

The Motherwell Cluster Operational Command Centre followed up and when police arrived at the house, the man threw a firearm into the garden and ran inside.

“Police entered the house and arrested the man, 33, before commencing a search,” Beetge said.

He said suspected stolen jewellery as well as cellphones were found. The estimated value of the cellphones alone was thought to be about R30 000.

“The jewellery price is unknown as detectives are still attempting to locate the owners,” Beetge said.

According to police, the firearm was reported stolen in the Mount Road policing area during a burglary in August 1997.

“The firearm has since been sent to the ballistics unit to establish if it can be linked to any crimes committed over the last 20 years,” Beetge said.

The cellphones were found just a week after a courier vehicle was hijacked in the Walmer Park Shopping Centre car park.

Three weeks prior, another courier vehicle carrying cellphones was hijacked in New Brighton.

Asked if the recovered cellphones were possibly stolen in the recent spate of courier truck hijackings, Beetge said that was subject to investigation.

“Detectives are consolidating the dockets of the recent hijackings.”

The man will appear in the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court today for illegal possession of a firearm as well as for possession of suspected stolen property.