TV dish installer held for alleged link to burglary gang

A Port Elizabeth satellite dish installer has been arrested for allegedly being linked to a burglary gang operating in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Police spokesperson Captain Johan Rheeder said police had spotted a Nissan Qashqai travelling on Van Stadens Road towards the N2 away from Blue Horizon Bay on Thursday at about 1am.

“The driver refused to stop for police and sped away,” he said. “A brief chase ensued and the police stopped the vehicle.”

Rheeder said that inside the vehicle several tools used for burglaries – including bolt cutters, screwdrivers and crowbars – had been found, along with a stolen loaded firearm.

“The phones confiscated during the arrest have led us to believe the two inside the vehicle were liaising with other gangs to target houses.”

Rheeder said one of the suspects was a private satellite dish installer.

“Several pictures of houses, inside and out, taken by the installer were found on a phone.

“We believe these are distributed among gangs who use this information to identify the houses they will target.”

Both suspects, aged 35, were arrested for possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition, possession of burglary implements and conspiracy to commit a crime. In another incident, five people were arrested in Rocklands after allegedly stealing groceries from a farmer.

They fled to a nearby informal settlement known as Bloza, where police tracked them down and recovered the groceries, Rheeder said.

The five, aged between 19 and 29, were arrested for possession of stolen property. –