A day after the widespread destruction of property and the looting of malls that engulfed Kathorus a fortnight ago, the SAPS in Katlehong went on a sweeping search for the looters in a bid to recover stolen goods.
According to Capt Mega Ndobe, Katlehong SAPS’s media spokesperson, four people died during these riots while over 30 suspects were arrested and detained for possession of stolen goods.
Among the reported dead is an EMPD officer, while two others are believed to have died during crossfire between the police and looters. A fourth body, believed to be that of an unknown male, was found inside the shell of the guttered Sam Ntuli Mall.
Dozens of households in different suburbs of Katlehong were later raided by the police who conducted searches and managed to recover a variety of goods suspected to have been looted from different shops and businesses during the mayhem. The recovered goods ranged from clothing, foodstuff, furnisher and building material.
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All the goods were loaded onto police vehicles and carted to the nearest police stations where they would be stored as crime exhibits in court against the suspects. The goods were confiscated after those arrested failed to produce proof of ownership or receipts for the new items found in their homes.
And as the week progressed and the police house raids intensified, community members who were involved in the looting panicked and began attempts to dispose of their stolen loot by dumping it on the streets as they feared arrest by the police.
During Operation Produce a Receipt, Ndobe explained that the local SAPS continued to use information gathered from members of the community to pursue and arrested suspects at their homes in different parts of Katlehong through information received from My SAPS App.
Suspects were found with different stolen items right inside their homes and with the clothing items still bearing anti-theft ID tags on them.
Among the list of recovered items included a flat-screen TV set, kettle, microwave oven and building material.
Katlehong Station Commander Brigadier Albertina Vesi expressed her appreciation to the members of the local community for assisting the police in the recovery of the stolen goods and arrest of the suspects.
Ndobe said all of the arrested suspects had their cases processed at the Palm Ridge Courts. However, he was unable to confirm the sentences imposed on each one of them or the jail terms they are to serve.
Meanwhile, Ndobe said the SAPS in Kathorus will continue the task to contain the widespread civil eruptions in the townships of Kathorus through the ongoing anti-crime operations dubbed Operation Okae Molao, which according to Vesi continues to produce results.
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