“Thank you to the police for their excellent response and recovering our stolen goods,” these were the words of a grateful family whose home was burgled by five armed suspects on Friday. Mr and Mrs Malek have expressed sincere gratitude to all the police and Road Traffic Inspectorate officers who responded to their shouts for help after the suspects fled the Lorne Street home in an attempt to make a getaway.

Their getaway was foiled by the family’s two sons who flagged down police officers who were nearby.The official police report states that Umtshezi traffic officers received the alert and when they attended the suspects opened fire.

“They retaliated and shot back but the suspects managed to get away and left their vehicle (a white Honda Ballade) in a farm area. The stolen goods were found abandoned along the road. The Estcourt police then received a tip off about one of the suspects in town selling cell phones.

The police immediately followed up on the information, which resulted in one suspect being arrested,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel TM Mabaso.The suspect appeared in the Estcourt Magistrates Court on Monday, March 9.”Four other suspects are still at large and the investigation is continuing,” concluded Lt Col Mabaso.