According to Warrant Officer Daniel Mavimbela, head of communications for Diepsloot police, two men aged 25 and 28 were charged with house robbery after they were arrested for forcing entry into a shack and robbing three female cousins in Diepsloot Extension 2 on 28 November. The third suspect, who police believe is behind a spate of some of the most violent crimes in the area, is still at large.
Mavimbela said upon entering the shack, the suspects demanded the victims’ cash and cellphones at gun point. In order to extract more cash from the victims, one of the suspects put a handgun to the baby’s head and threatened to shoot him. The suspects fled after assaulting one of the cousins with the gun.
Two other shacks in the area were also allegedly targeted by the three suspects on the same day. Working on information received through the Diepsloot police intelligence network, police employed different tactics to corner two of the suspects on 3 December.
According to Mavimbela, the suspects were found with a substantial amount of alcohol in their possession and were intoxicated.
Mavimbela said Diepsloot police are appealing to the community to be responsible when renting out back rooms and shacks to tenants. “They should insist on certified copies of identity documents or the passports of their prospective tenants,” he said.
“A basic background check must also be made before tenants are accepted. The local police can be contacted when residents are in need of assistance in this regard.”
