A routine maintenance check on an electrical substation has led to the confirmed arrest of three alleged cable thieves in the Ncandu Park area.
Municipal officials conducting a scheduled check on the fire extinguishers in the Amajuba Park Substation noticed that the building had been broken into.
The alleged thieves were still inside the building at the time and the municipal official immediately contacted the police for assistance.
One suspect was arrested at the scene while two others attempted a daring escape.
For the past hour the Newcastle K-9 unit has been searching through Amajuba and Ncandu Park for the suspects.
Richard Marais of South Africa Community Crime Watch Newcastle sent a BBM broadcast message shortly after the incident, stating that one suspect had been arrested. However, K-9 unit members, Warrant Officer Sasha Naidoo and Sergeant Daniel Trennery were still in pursuit of the last suspect at the time.
Thankfully, all three suspects were eventually arrested, with the dogs of the K-9 unit taking down the final suspect.
A municipal source revealed that allegedly these suspects had been working as a unit over the past week, hitting three other substations in suburbs around Newcastle.
The suspects had allegedly been taking both copper and the equiptment used within the substation.
“One of the units they tried to take is valued between R80 000 and R120 000. The cost of repairing the damage to they caused to the Amajuba Park Substation is estimated to be more than R60 000,” the source estimated.
The suspects are expected to appear in court within the next couple of days.
Police spokesperson Captain Shooz Magudulela was contacted for comment regarding the efficient work of the K-9 unit and to clarify the charges the suspects will face.
“Unfortunately, I do not know what has happened. You have information I do not, go out to the scene and see what has happened. When the suspects are brought in I will issue a media statement when I have all the information,” he said.
