Target nails suspects
Would-be robbers foiled in Verulam
AN ALERT employee dodged being robbed of a substantial amount of cash he had just withdrawn from a bank in Verulam yesterday.
His quick reaction also resulted in five suspects being nabbed, and firearms, balaclavas and gloves being seized at the scene.
Speaking to The Independent on Saturday, the employer of the man who evaded his would-be robbers said he received a call from his employee who had sought refuge at a pharmacy.
The employer asked that his and his employee’s name be withheld.
He said that after withdrawing a “substantial” amount of money, the employee noticed a suspicious individual he believed to be a “spotter” in the bank.
“The spotter followed him out the bank and got into a car with other occupants.
“When the vehicle drove past him, he thought it was suspicious that all the occupants were looking at him.”
He said at that point his employee’s vehicle cut out and he saw the suspicious occupants of the vehicle get out and come towards him.
“He immediately got out the car and took the cash with him. He went into the nearest place, which was a pharmacy, and phoned me and I then contacted Reaction Unit SA (Rusa)”.
The employer said crime in the area had become a concern.
“We are all concerned. Whether we are carrying cash or a cellphone, we have to be cautious because crime is a concern generally in Verulam.
“It would really help if there was more visible policing because currently we are relying on Rusa, who were there within minutes after I had phoned them about the incident.”
Rusa’s Prem Balram confirmed five suspects were arrested and two unlicensed firearms were recovered on Wick Street in the Verulam CBD yesterday.
He said they received information that the suspects were in a Mazda Midge and a Chev Aveo.
“Reaction unit officers proceeded to the location and kept observation over both vehicles.
“During the observation the front passenger of the Mazda Midge walked towards the pharmacy, looked inside and then gave his accomplices a thumbs-up,” he said.
Balram said his staff approached the cars and removed the occupants.
One suspect in the Chev Aveo tried to drive off, but was boxed in.
“Verulam SAPS arrived on the scene and a search of the vehicle was conducted.
“Two firearms with filed-off serial numbers, balaclavas and gloves were recovered in the Mazda.”
Police spokesperson Thulani Zwane confirmed the arrest of the five suspects and said they were found with two firearms that had their serial numbers scratched off.
INVESTIGATORS from Eskom have recovered stolen cables and other equipment worth R5 million, Eskom said yesterday.
One person was arrested when the investigators and police officers found aluminium and copper cables and other equipment in Muldersdrift.
Eskom’s divisional executive for security, Tebogo Rakau, said the find pointed to the “organised, syndicate-driven” nature of cable theft. Eskom spent about R2 billion a year replacing stolen copper cables.
“It might seem like the only victims of cable theft are Eskom and municipalities, who have to bear the cost of replacing (cables). But the effects suffered by society can be even worse, including power outages, which impact businesses,” he said. – African News Agency (ANA)