According to EMPD spokesperson, Chief Supt Wilfred Kgasago, the women refused to part with their phones.
“Realising that his would-be victims were not easy targets, the assailant overpowered the women, grabbed their cellphones and ran.
“Upon reaching their place of employment, the victims reported the robbery and the security personnel at the clinic accordingly alerted the EMPD First Responder Unit members who acted swiftly.
“Using the information provided by the victims, the metro police located the suspect asleep at 10am along Masebeni Street at Barcelona informal settlement, KwaThema,” says Kgasago.
He adds that five cellphones were found at the suspect’s residence, two of which were positively identified as those belonging to the two young women robbed earlier that morning.
“It emerged that the 24-year-old suspect was on parole and was released only in October after he had been arrested on assault charges.
“Seemingly ignorant of the gravity of failure to comply with his parole conditions, the suspect would probably have his parole overturned and the chances of him getting bail are very slim.
“As the suspect admitted to be in the business of robbing people of their cellphones and for the fact that the other three cellphones could not be immediately linked to any crime, the police are requesting members of the community who could have fallen victim to a cellphone robber to come forward,” says Kgasago.
Charges of robbery and assault against the suspect were laid at KwaThema Police Station.
