A CHATSWORTH woman’s prayers to find important family documents and irreplaceable sentimental photographs of her husband that were stolen during a home invasion on Wednesday, have been answered.
Blue Security operations manager Brian Jackson said the briefcase, containing important documents and the only photographs the woman and her children had of her deceased husband, was found after a vigilant resident on the other side of town reported seeing a suspect running with a briefcase.
“A resident spotted the man running into the bush near Queen Elizabeth Avenue in Manor Gardens and our armed response officer was alerted to the scene. He managed to track down the man who dropped the briefcase and fled when he saw our officer,” he said.
Jackson said the officer had gone off duty and the matter was handed over to a night shift officer who had decided to try to trace the owner of the briefcase.
“He inspected the contents and found that it contained important documents and sentimental photographs, which were obviously extremely valuable to the owner of the briefcase, but of no value to anyone else and would likely be destroyed if handed in but not claimed at the local police station,” he said.
Jackson said he found a business card inside the briefcase and contacted the businesswoman who happened to be the owner of the briefcase. The briefcase had been stolen during a home invasion in Shallcross, Chatsworth on Wednesday.
“The woman had been home alone when four robbers arrived in a white bakkie and ransacked the property before fleeing with valuables including jewellery, a television, a wallet and the briefcase,” he said.
The woman, who asked to be identified only as Rose, said her husband had died four years ago and the photographs in the briefcase were the only pictures her children had of their father. She said it was “the hand of God” at work that the briefcase had been returned to her and she could hardly speak on the phone when the officer called to say he had found it.
“When I went to the police station to report the crime I just prayed to God that these guys might think they don’t need it and that they would leave it where someone can find it. It was a miracle. He brought back all our documents,” she said.
