Police van torched as officers pursue cable thieves in Cape Town

Three suspects have been arrested for cable theft and allegedly setting a law enforcement vehicle on fire in Uitsig, Cape Town, on Wednesday.

According to law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason, the officers, who were on duty, had noticed three men stripping overhead cables.

They stepped out of their van, pursued the suspects on foot and managed to retrieve the stolen cables, which they put in their vehicle.

The officers then resumed chasing the suspects on foot who had now split up.

“They were right behind two of the suspects when the third suspect saw an opportunity and stole the vehicle,” said Dyason.

He added the third suspect pulled up in the white Toyota double cab bakkie and gave his cohorts a lift, allowing them to escape.

Dyason said the cables fell out as they drove onto a field at a high speed.

The suspects then jumped out of the vehicle and ran away. Officers gave chase and managed to catch them.

However, as the officers walked back to the bakkie, they found it ablaze.

“The fire did not come from the bonnet, so we suspect they started the fire before they jumped out,” says Dayson.

He added the officers returned to Malawi Camp to collect the cables to find it had been stolen again.

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