Suspected Joburg arsonist Sentious Novans is believed to be involved in multiple cases of arson, murder and burglary in the east and north parts of Johannesburg in the past few months. Photo: Facebook
Gauteng police have released pictures of the man who is suspected to be behind multiple cases of arson attacks in Joburg’s upmarket northern suburbs.
Police on Saturday requested public assistance to track down Sentious Novans, who is believed to be involved in multiple cases of arson, murder and burglary in the east and north parts of Johannesburg in the past few months.
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Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello said in all the incidents, the suspect would break in at affluent houses and after stealing property, he would set the houses alight.
Sello said Novans was previously sentenced to seven years in jail of which four years were suspended for five years. It was unclear which crimes was he convicted for.
“Anyone with positive information that can lead to the arrest of Novans is urged to contact the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Magongoa on 071 351 4189 or Lieutenant Colonel Prowse on 079 498 2435.
“The Crime Stop Line can also be contacted on 08600 10111, alternatively anonymous tip-offs can be reported via the MySaps application which can be downloaded on any smartphone. Information received will be treated with the strictest confidence,” Sello said in a statement.
In the most recent arson attack, an arsonist broke into a house in the suburb of Melrose and set the kitchen on fire while the homeowner and a live-in staff member were inside.
The incident happened in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The homeowner and staff member managed to escape without injury, and the fire was later extinguished by emergency fire services, however, it caused extensive damage to the home.
“Once inside, the suspect set the kitchen alight. The homeowner woke up to loud banging and smelt smoke, which resulted in him exiting the property and pressing his panic button which alerted CAP,” security company Community Active Protection (CAP) said.
CAP Security said preliminary reports indicated that the suspect behind the arson attack is the same person involved in previous arson incidents.
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