Cops nab four suspected cellphone tower intruders

A syndicate, believed to be responsible for a spate of thefts at cellphone towers in the East London area, may have been stopped in its tracks at the weekend when four men were caught trying to tamper with a tower in Cambridge.

Police and security guards, responding to an alarm activated at the Cambridge West tower on Saturday evening, arrested the men, whom they believe burgled six other towers in the city on the same day.

The arrests were confirmed on Monday by East London police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala.

Mqala said a quick response by the K9 dog unit and Red Alert security personnel had resulted in the recovery of two Nissan NP200 vehicles, two bunches of master keys that were used by cellphone technicians to gain entry to the containers, one battery-operated angle grinder, reflective jackets, four cellphones and various tools that are used to gain entry illegally to cellphone towers.

“On Saturday the K9 members responded after an alarm at a cellphone tower was activated at Colley Avenue in Cambridge West.

“This came after six cellphone towers had already been burgled in the city area during the day. In some of the burglaries it was reported that a Nissan NP200 was involved.

“On their arrival at the site, they found two Nissan NP200 vehicles at the tower, and some suspects busy at the containers,” she said.

“The members managed to block one vehicle. Immediately three suspects ran away through a nearby primary school’s fields. Red Alert security also arrived and assisted our members in arresting some of those suspects.”

The other vehicle, which left when police arrived, was found shortly after it was abandoned in nearby Vian Road, Mqala said.

She said both vehicles and the recovered property had been confiscated and would be used as evidence against the four men.

The four, who are between 28 and 34 years old, were charged with tampering with and damaging infrastructure.

They are expected to appear before the East London magistrate’s court on Tuesday.

Provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Liziwe Ntshinga on Monday commended the swift reaction by police and security guards, saying the arrests was good news in the fight against vandalism of cellphone towers in and around East London.