A closed bottle store is pictured in Johannesburg, 6 April 2020. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark
A tavern owner and six other people were arrested at Maponya Mall in Soweto on Tuesday morning for contravening national lockdown regulations.
“An intelligence-driven operation led to the arrest of the owner of the tavern and six other suspects in Maponya Mall for the contravention of the National Disaster Management Act and non-compliance with lockdown regulations,” national police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said in a statement.
The arrests were a result of crime intelligence receiving information about liquor being sold at the back of the mall.
“On 21 March 2020, at approximately 09:00, the information was operationalised, and the police kept observation,” Naidoo explained.
Three people were intercepted after leaving the mall in a red Toyota Condor.
“Upon searching the vehicle, police found large volumes of alcohol. The three suspects were taken back to the mall, where the owner of the tavern and three more suspects were arrested,” Naidoo added.
The value of the liquor is yet to be determined.
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