LIMPOPO – The police’s efforts to fight all categories of crime in the province led to the arrest of 1 986 criminals this past week, said Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe in a statement on Sunday.
“The accused, aged between 18 and 52, were arrested for various offences which include: the possession and dealing in drugs, possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles, possession of unlicensed firearms, murder, robberies, assault, common robberies, armed robberies, sexual offences, possession of illicit cigarettes, attempted murder, Illegal Immigration Act, public drinking, illegal dealing in liquor, to the Contravention of the National Road Traffic Act.”
These simultaneous and parallel operations also resulted in the confiscation of unlicenced firearms and ammunition, stolen vehicles, motorcycles and a truck, various mobile devices and laptops, counterfeit cigarettes, drugs, liquor and various dangerous weapons. 1775 fines were also issued for the Contravention of the National Road Traffic Act.
Ngoepe listed a few operational successes:
In the Capricorn District the police arrested a 42-year-old man for possession of over R1 million worth of suspected stolen property. The man was arrested during Operations Thata Zonke which was conducted in the Westenburg policing area. “During the arrest, the police confiscated mobile devices and laptops worth over R500 000.”
Ngoepe said that preliminary police investigations revealed that one of the confiscated cell phones, was stolen an hour before the operation was conducted and the owner was found in the Community Service Center busy opening a case of theft out of motor vehicle.
“The origin of these items will still be determined through ongoing investigations.”
A parallel operation in the Waterberg district led by members of Mokopane Crime Intelligence Unit and the Modimolle Crime investigation Unit, resulted in the arrest of two men for possession of suspected stolen motor vehicles.
“Police received information about a man who had purchased a suspected stolen motor vehicle, Nissan NP 200. The police acted on the information and found the vehicle with the unsuspecting victim. The preliminary police investigations established that this car was reported stolen last year in Pretoria.”
Ngoepe added that further investigations revealed that the victim had bought the vehicle from a suspect who was selling two other motor vehicles in the Mokopane central business district (CBD). “The information was followed up and the vehicles, a Toyota Run-X and Nissan NP 200, where found parked on the corner Dudu Madisha and Nelson Mandela streets waiting to be sold to unsuspecting customers. A 24-year-old man was arrested on the scene and both vehicles confiscated.”
Further investigation led the team to Soshanguve outside Pretoria where a second suspect, aged 28, was arrested.
Meanwhile in Vhembe, the provincial joint operation “Vhuthu Hawe” cracked the whip on criminals during a roadblock conducted near the Baobab Toll Gate Plaza along the N1 North. During the operations the police nabbed a man who was transporting bags of copper wire.
“The wires were hidden in ten bags and were valued to over R600 000. The man was arrested on the spot and his truck confiscated.”
The arrested suspects during these operations are expected to appear before different magistrate’s court soon, across the province.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Major General Samuel Manala complimented the tireless efforts by all members of the South African Police Service in Limpopo in their endeavour to fight crime head-on.
