Top cop rejects inside-job claim in burglary
ACTING national police commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane has dismissed as unsubstantiated public suspicion the allegation that government employees were involved in the burglary at Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s offices in Midrand.
He told journalists yesterday that three men from Mamelodi had been arrested for the break-in and theft of 15 computers containing sensitive information about 250 judges.
Asked whether police were investigating a possible inside job, Phahlane said the suspects appeared to be just criminals.
“A multidisciplinary team followed up leads which resulted in operations that identified addresses in Mamelodi, in search of the stolen equipment and the perpetrators.”
The police investigation had yielded the name of a person who might have more information on the crime, he added.
“We are calling on Mr Nkosinathi Msimango, who was in the vicinity of Mamelodi on the day of the arrests and has valuable information on the commission of this crime, to approach the investigating officer or report to the nearest police station,” he urged.
During a search of the premises where the three suspects were nabbed, unlicensed firearms and fake IDs were found. A vehicle was also seized. Phahlane said more arrests were expected.
Police haven’t recovered the stolen computers.
The burglary drew condemnation from political and civil society quarters, with some questioning if the robbery was linked to the Constitutional Court’s social grants ruling.
Phahlane said CCTV footage was being examined.