Store personnel nabbed for ‘fake’ business robbery
The trio took clothing items as well as cash from the tills of the store.
LIMPOPO – A store manager and two female staff members of a clothing store in Bela-Bela have been arrested.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the trio were nabbed for staging a business robbery on Sunday (January 30) morning.
“Police were informed that their store was robbed by two unknown men. A snap, intelligence driven operation was activated to respond to the alleged business robbery,” he explained.
Initial investigations by the police revealed that one of the men pointed a firearm at the staff, and demanded their cellphones.
“The suspects took various clothing items and put them into big bags. The bags were then loaded into a motor vehicle, while they also took cash from the tills,” Mojapelo added.
Police, after further investigation, recovered the stolen items from a motor vehicle that belonged to the store manager. “The manager and two female staff members were arrested and charged with theft and the conspiracy to commit a crime. The pistol used in the robbery turned out to be an air gun,” he said.
 Mojapelo said a hunt for two remaining suspects continue, while the arrested trio (aged between 29 and 32) will appear in the Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court soon.Â
“The conduct of the members who visited the scene and the meticulous manner in which they went about probing this incident is highly commendable. We take this moment to warn other people, who might be planning to stage non-existent robberies, that the police are capable of uncovering similar plans and bring the perpetrators to book,” provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe remarked.Â
