Till slip trips up burglary suspect

Quigney man nabbed for burglary and vandalism

THE East London police did fast and smart detective work to catch a suspect in a burglary and malicious damage to property case.

The suspect left behind a cash receipt to a shop he had visited prior to the break-in at the crime scene, and police were sharp enough to spot it and use it to track him down.

Police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi said Cambridge police officers responded to a call two weeks ago after a Bunkers Hill home was burgled and vandalised.

The house, belonging to Cape Townbased Steve Boetes, had been vacant at the time of the crime.

The suspect broke windows, lights and doors.

The police spokesman said the damage was estimated at R100 000.

The police started the investigation the day after the burglary, and sharp-eyed detectives spotted the small clue.

“It was during our fourth day of tireless investigations when we came across a slightly burned receipt on the floor in the house,” said Mbi.

He said the receipt from a beachfront shop showed a pack of cigarettes listed as the only purchase.

Apart from listing the name of the store, the receipt also critically gave the date and time of the purchase – 11.45pm on Saturday. Police immediately visited the shop. “We pleaded with the owner of the store to let us view his CCTV camera footage which he allowed.

“We identified the suspect from the cameras and upon further investigation we learned that the suspect had been a former tenant in the vandalised house,” Mbi said.

He said the suspect, Stanley Miller, was arrested on Monday at his house in Quigney.

Miller appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday where he was granted a bail of R500.

The matter was postponed for July 26 for further investigation.

“Without the receipt we would still be battling with the investigation. Maybe we would have ended up not knowing who had done it,” Mbi said.

Homeowner Boetes said he had evicted Miller in May.

“He [Miller] was an illegal tenant sourced by a legal tenant. I had to evict all of them,” Boetes said.

Mbi said the investigating officer in the case was Warrant Officer Michael Potgieter.

“This was an example of good detective work by the officer,” Mbi added. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za