Bloemfontein cops pounce on stock theft suspects

Four men are expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court tomorrow after they were arrested yesterday.

Members of various agricultural unions yesterday morning noticed suspicious movements in the Tierpoort farming area during a patrol.

“The team held observations until they witnessed stolen livestock being loaded in a motor vehicle,” states SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane.

This information was shared with Park Road Police Station in Bloemfontein and Visible Policing, Crime Prevention, Bikes Squad, and Flying Squad members assembled on the N1 South at around 08:45 to wait for the suspects.

“Four males occupied the suspected vehicle when the police stopped and searched for possible stolen property. Two heads of sheep (one slaughtered and one alive) were found covered with blue jackets on the back of the motor vehicle. Another sheep was loaded inside the boot of the vehicle,” adds Covane.

The suspects, who held no permit to transport livestock, were interrogated. They also had no proof of ownership and could not explain where the animals were taken from. Cases of possession of stolen property and stock theft were opened at Park Road and Tierpoort police stations respectively.

“The suspects aged between 26 and 36 were arrested and kept in police custody and will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” concludes the police spokesperson.