Police recover nine stolen guns; arrest employee
A round-the-clock investigation by a Reiger Park SAPS team has led to the recovery of nine reported stolen firearms, nine magazines and 44 live ammunition.
An employee believed to be involved in the theft has also been arrested.
The guns belonging to Sinqobile Security Services, which provides security to the railway line, were on Monday morning, May 5, reportedly stolen during a robbery near Oos Rand station.
An all-out effort by the police to recover the cache of stolen firearms resulted in the guns being found dumped in the veld near the spot where they were reportedly stolen.
According to Reiger park SAPS spokesperson Sgt Mashudu Phathela, the now arrested man was sent by his employer, Sinqobile Security Services, to collect the firearms from the guards who were working the night shift, manning the railway line, as it was time for them to go home.
“After collecting the firearms just before 8am, the employee came to the police station to open a case of robbery, saying robbers driving in a white Golf held him at gunpoint, took his cellphone and the nine guns from his company vehicle, before they fled the scene,” said Phathela
Police officers immediately launched an intensive investigation into the matter, and fresh evidence subsequently came to light, suggesting that the complainant was not in fact robbed.
“The investigation revealed that he, the arrested employee, gave the guns to someone.
“It was also discovered that the person or persons who received the firearms were supposed to pay the suspect R2 000 per gun, and the money was supposed to be paid to the employee on Monday afternoon, when he knocked off work.”
Following questioning, the suspect initially took the police to a property in Daveyton, but the guns were nowhere to be found. He then took the officers to two addresses in Reiger Park, but to no avail.
The illegal trading was, however, thwarted after police managed to get the suspect to negotiate with his accomplices to return the firearms.
“The suspect was asked to phone the person who was in possession of the firearms and beg him to bring the guns back. The person on the other hand, initially seemed uncooperative, sometimes even ignoring our phone calls,” said Phathela.
The officers didn’t give up. After hours of diligent negotiations, the person in possession of the guns informed the police that he had dumped the guns in the veld near Oos Rand railway station.
Along with the suspect the police went to the location and found all the stolen firearms.
The suspect is charged with defeating the ends of justice and more charges may be added.
Sinqobile Security Services’ general manager, David Masutla applauded the police for recovering the firearms before they were used to commit crimes.
“Apart from the loss of our equipment, as the management of Sinqobile Security Services, we were very much concerned about the safety of the public.
“It’s obvious that the people who obtained these multiple weapons were up to no good. They were apparently intending to use them for illegal activities, including robbing and killing our brothers and sisters.
“So we appreciate the police’s swift action. They did a good job in finding the weapons and one of the culprits.”
Police said they are continuing with their investigation and vowed to leave no stone unturned, adding that more arrests are imminent.
Police reports have revealed that gun-related murders are the leading cause of violent death in Boksburg. @FanieFLK
