LIMPOPO – Three people caught stealing tower batteries, transformer cables and oil, were arrested by the police near Mohokoni village under Mokwakwaila policing area outside Tzaneen on Tuesday, 25 February.
According to a statement issued by Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlefela Mojapleo, the police received a report from tower patrollers in the area that there were people tampering with the transformer and tower batteries. They arrived on the scene to find two men, one on the ground and one on a make-shift ladder.
The men were in the process of dismantling a transformer and had already drained the transmission oil into a 5 litre container.
When they spotted the police, the man on the ladder reportedly tried to avoid arrest by jumping off and landed head-first on the ground. He was certified dead on the scene. The second man on the ground fired shots at the officers and ran into the bushes. The police retaliated and the culprit was chased down and arrested at Mohokoni tarred road with the assistance of local residents. The man sustained injuries during the shootout and was admitted at a local hospital under police guard, said Mojapelo.
Mojapleo added that two others, who also arrived on the scene, were intercepted, arrested and their vehicle was seized.
Investigations revealed that all suspects, aged between 27 and 43, are from Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria. They are set to appear in the Bolobedu Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 27 February on charges of theft and malicious damage to property.
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Genl Nneke Ledwaba has commended the police for their swift response and also thanked the community for assisting the police in apprehending one of the men involved.
