SUSPECTED BUYERS OF STOLEN CELLPHONES EXPOSED BY THE CYBERSPACE CLOUD
Two suspected buyers of stolen cellphones unwittingly gave themselves away when they took photos of each other that ended up in the cyberspace cloud.
Carl and Edna Slade of Henry Street in Port Alfred had their Hisense cellphones and an HP laptop stolen in October.
“We didn’t initially report it to the police because we weren’t going to claim from insurance, but we blocked the SIM cards,” Carl said.
When they got their old numbers back for their new phones, they were surprised when photos downloaded from the cloud of two strange men in a spaza shop.
“I think the guys in the photos are the buyers rather than the actual thieves,” Carl said.
“They may have taken the pictures to test the quality of the cellphone cameras when they bought them, but they didn’t realise the pictures were being sent into cyberspace.”
Carl gave the evidence to the police in early November and was waiting to hear back from them.
“The detective told me it was a good clue. I would think it’s more than a clue – you can see their faces clearly!” Carl said. “If they don’t manage to solve this one, then I don’t know.”
TotT asked provincial SAPS spokeswoman Captain Mali Govender about police progress on the case on November 12. We eventually received an answer on November 28.
Govender said their response was delayed by looking at an incorrect case number.
“The photographs were followed up by the investigating officer, and no trace has been established within the Port Alfred [area]. These pictures have been circulated internally as ‘persons of interest’,” she said.
“We are still awaiting serial numbers to be furnished by the complainant. No arrests have been made in this case.”