Young man arrested for attempted robbery in Polokwane
A local resident says the public arrest of a young boy believed to be under the age of 18 brought back sorrowful memories of the death of her brother some years ago.
POLOKWANE – “It brought back all the bad memories and the pain of my brother being killed,” she tells Review. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, says the arrest took place in Marshall Street on Friday, 24 February. It happened outside the house of a family member of the woman, who says the police found several weapons on the boy.
According to the distraught woman, her brother was killed during a robbery. She says he was cooperative but the robbers killed him despite this.
“I was called by my sister-in-law to see the commotion on the pavement where a young man was lying face down in the street. He was bleeding from his head and his hands and feet were tied behind him. The police told me that he was still a school boy wanted for house robbery. I could not believe my eyes as he looked young,” she recounts.
She says the boy was chased down by residents as well as the police who finally caught him in Marshall Street. He had in his possession a bag filled with large knives.
“My blood turned cold when the police showed me the contents of the bag. Why would a school child carry such weapons and what was he planning to do with them in a house breaking? My thoughts turned to a mother of two who recently lost her life after being killed in what police call a robbery,” she continues, saying she wonders if he was attempting to commit a similar crime to the man arrested for that murder.
The woman says the scene of a school boy being cuffed on a pavement and a bag filled with knives lying next to him is something that will stay with her for a long time. “We do not want these things to happen in our homes anymore. We want crime to go down and our homes to feel safe again. We thank the police, who attended to the arrest of the boy so soon, for their hard work. We as the residents will assist in reporting the crimes and posting the good deeds of the police on social media. It is the least we can do when police act so fast and bring people to book,” she says.
Polokwane Police Spokesperson WO Lesiba Ramoshaba said he will find out more information on the arrested suspect at a later stage. He could only confirm that a young man was arrested for attempted house robbery.
riana@nmgroup.co.za
