A former security guard at a computer parts distributing company was remanded in custody by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court on charges of conspiracy to commit housebreaking and theft that cost the company R3.5 million. He will reappear in court after further investigation is completed.
The incident happened on 23 September last year during his watch at Kaira Technology Company, Randjes Park, Midrand.
The court heard that when the company workers returned on 25 September from a weekend, they found the back door into the building which they had locked, open. Twelve computers were missing and desk drawers were pulled out. The iron door to the safe room had been forced open, presumably with a grinder, and all memory cards, flash disks, hard drives and motherboards valued at R2.5 million were missing. Computer parts which were in the storage warehouse and worth R1 million were also missing.
When asked by investigators, the accused confessed to letting in a vehicle with an unspecified number of people he didn’t know and assumed they were employees of other companies.
After they had left, he got a call from one of the vehicle occupants asking him to let in an enclosed Ford van that was on its way. He was also asked to remove paper covering a surveillance camera at the back entrance to the company building and he complied. The van came, left after a while and was followed by a Kombi in which he recognised one occupant from the first vehicle. The Kombi also left after a while and was followed by a truck with three occupants. It also drove away after about 20 minutes. After that, he locked the gate.
The accused claimed when he patrolled the premises, he picked up a box in which he found and took a memory stick. After a while, a sedan with an unspecified number of occupants came and asked to check if everything was okay and he let them in and they too, drove away after a while.
The accused claimed that after he knocked off at 5.20pm, he received a phone message while at home from a guard at a nearby company informing him that his replacement guard had been tied up and kidnapped. The kidnapped officer was later found alive in Pretoria.
Investigators arrested the accused at his home and retrieved the memory stick found in his possession. The stolen items were not recovered and the robbers are at large.
