Three men, who were stopped and searched in connection with a business robbery, and were arrested for bribery and possession of a vehicle suspected to have been used to commit a crime, were remanded in custody by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court.
They were bust after being found driving a Mercedes Benz panel van which is suspected to have been used in a robbery at a storage company in Kyalami Estate on 30 January this year.
The court heard that the van was seen on video footage entering the company’s premises at 9am through a gate that had been forced open. The previous day, a Saturday, workers and the company’s owner had locked and secured it with a padlock and chain.
The company’s owner alleged that when he and his employees arrived for duty at 9am on Monday, they found the gate’s padlock and chain loose. He rushed to the building, unlocked the entrance and went to the storeroom where he found an undisclosed number of boxes of body lotion were missing.
He viewed the security video footage which showed the van entering the premises. The company owner immediately contacted Midrand police who circulated the robbery report.
The Brixton Police Flying Squad were said to have received a tip-off about a vehicle fitting the description of the van driving around in Doornfontein. They went to the area, stopped the car, ordered the occupants out and searched them.
The officers found nothing suspicious on the three suspects nor in the van. The men denied knowledge of the robbery but allegedly offered the police a R400 bribe.
The vehicle is currently being held at the police pound.
They will reappear in court after further investigation is completed.
