14 Arrested

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Recognize any of the above goods? Contact SAPS 021 7918660

A police investigation into a spate of house-robberies and housebreaking in the Constantia and Tokai suburbs led to the arrest of 14 suspects and more arrests are set to follow. A Task team consisting of investigators from Kirstenhof SAPS, members of the Serious & Violent Crimes Unit in Cape Town, assisted by a local security service provider Mountain Men Security (operating in the Tokai area), were recently engaged in an operation to arrest the suspects. A breakthrough was made when Mountain Men security personnel, known in the area for their tracking ability, followed the spoor of 3 suspects linked to the scene of a house robbery in the suburb of Swaanswyk through the densely forested slopes of the Constantiaberg Mountains. The security personnel went to a location just above Mandela Park settlement in Hout Bay, where they estimated the spoor was leading them and laid an ambush with members of SAPS. At dawn contact was made with the suspects which sparked a police investigation which resulted in the arrest of 14 suspects and the seizure of a vast amount of stolen property recovered by SAPS. Inspector Rodney Franks of Kirstenhof SAPS said. An investigation of this magnitude has never been undertaken in our station area.The first suspects were arrested on the morning of Tuesday 28 April in a pre-dawn raid crack down by police officials. Items seized included cell phones, watches, laptops, power tools, cameras, digital cameras and jewelry. The last of the current suspects totaling 9, were arrested in areas ranging from Mandela Park in Hout Bay, to the Du Noon settlement in Milnerton on Friday 8 May 2009. The suspects range in ages from 22 to 32, are able to speak fluent Afrikaans, are all Namibian nationals, some with military backgrounds. All of them had connections with a commercial fishing fleet in Hout Bay where they worked as commercial fishermen. The stolen items seized thus far has an estimated street value of around R2,000,000 (two million rands) and many of these goods have already been linked to cases of house robberies and housebreaking reported at the following police stations: Kirstenhof, Diepriver, Wynberg, Claremont and Camps Bay. The suspects are due to appear at the Wynberg Magistrates Court on Monday 11 May 2009. Issued by Insp R Franks