Police officers recover stolen cellphone tower batteries

The officers went to meet up with investigators from Vodacom and a briefing was conducted. Following this, the team continued tracking the stolen batteries to an address in Delville, Germiston.

On arrival at the address, the police searched the yard after they were given permission by one of the tenants. The signal pointed them to a white Mercedes-Benz Vito Crew.

Lufele and Ngomani then proceeded to the house and asked who the owner of the vehicle was. A man came forward and confirmed the vehicle belonged to him.

The police asked if they could search the vehicle and he conceded and gave them permission. Inside the vehicle, the police found five 20lt containers of diesel and one red Vodacom battery. The suspect was placed under arrest and told the police that a friend in Rondebult gave him the battery.

The suspect was immediately arrested and detained. The containers of diesel and stolen battery were booked at Germiston SAPS and the vehicle was booked at the Aeroton vehicle pound.

The police team went to Rondebult, to the friend of the detained suspect, where they found a white Nissan Hardbody without registration plates. They approached the vehicle and ordered all people who were inside the vehicle to alight. Three men were searched and one of them had eight sets of keys in his pocket and a cellphone. The keys were later linked to cellphone towers.

When the cellphone found on him was checked, police found it contained pictures of several cell tower batteries. All the men found at the scene were arrested and identified themselves as non-South African nationals from Mozambique.

They were found in possession of black cellphone tower batteries which were inside the vehicle. The men couldn’t provide valid answers about the batteries.

All the suspects were later detained and the stolen cellphone batteries were taken to the Alberton police station for safe-keeping.