In an elaborate undercover operation, five men were arrested for suspected copper cable theft last week.
Police had sourced information that the group of men was tampering with infrastructure.
A joint operation between the Winterton detectives, Ladysmith K9 Unit officers and wardens from a security company was set up to trap the suspects
“Information was sourced by the officers that a vehicle was being sought to transport copper to Gauteng. A vehicle was arranged and officers went undercover pretending to be the owner and driver of the “hired” vehicle,” explained police spokesperson Warrant Officer Basheer Khan.
Police met with the group of suspects in Khetani township in Winterton before they were directed to Chievely.
“Once there bags of copper wire was loaded into the vehicle, the officers including the five suspects travelled towards the N3. The operational teams set up a road block and stopped the vehicle on the Colenso/Bergville off ramp. All five suspects were arrested,” further commented Khan.
The recovered copper is valued at R50 000.
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