Thieves arrested after returning to crime scene to retrieve a cellphone
Six thieves were arrested when they returned to the scene of their crime in search of a cell phone they had left at a home in Allandale which was ransacked in a burglary on Thursday.
The men had reportedly broken into a house in Helston Street at around 7 pm.
According to security company Mi7, the suspects started squabbling amongst themselves leading to a flurry of finger-pointing as to who burgled the home.
Mi7 said that the incident was reported by a neighbour who saw several people rummaging around inside the home where the break-in took place.
The homeowner was not at home when the incident occurred.
“The first reaction officer at the scene found that the bars on the front gate had been tampered with and the front door was broken. Other units arrived shortly afterwards as back-up, and a full perimeter check was done. They found copper pipes were stripped from the property and burglar guards were broken,” said Mi7 in a statement.
Mi7 said, according to a resident, people were seen inside the home from as early as noon on Thursday, so the suspects could have been looting the premises over a longer period than initially thought.
Neighbours made multiple attempts to contact the man living on the property, but to no avail. The decision was then made by neighbours to enter the house in case the resident was attacked and unresponsive.
“Inside, the house was vandalised, with kitchenware and crockery found broken and multiple items stolen. A cellphone was found on the property and nobody knew who it belonged to.”
While Mi7 reaction officers were speaking to neighbours outside, six men approached and one of them claimed that he had come to recover a cellphone which he had lent to someone.
The phone found inside the burgled property was positively linked to the man. Intensive questioning then led to a flurry of finger-pointing and accusations between the six in the group, with their alleging that the phone had been lent to a seventh suspect who was not at the scene.
“Officers then went to the Copesville property pointed out by one of the six, and detained the seventh suspect. After questioning, he admitted to being involved in several other housebreakings in the area, but denied his involvement in this one. Police further positively identified him as a wanted suspect linked to these cases,” read the statement.
Mountain Rise Police Station spokesperson Warrant Officer Panchael Singh said all six arrested suspects will appear at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
In other news – PIC: Actress Kwezi Ndlovu welcomes twins
Popular South African actress Kwezi Ndlovu who portrayed the first Nobuntu in Umkhokha: The Curse has announced the arrival of her twin boys. The Umkhokha: The Curse actress took to her Instagram account on Thursday, 1 February to share a video her twin babies.
A local publication reports that Ndlovu announced her pregnancy last November by sharing a video of herself at the beach rubbing her baby bump. Read More
