MOKOPANE – Two foreign nationals, aged 29 and 34-years-old were arrested by the Mokopane Crime Intelligence and Crime Prevention Units on Thursday (April 20) who were in possession of stolen steel.
The intelligence driven operation identified the vehicle, used to transport stolen steel, in Mokopane and it was stopped along Bonsmara Street.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the vehicle was loaded with steel and that the suspects could not provide a reasonable explanation as to why they were in possession of it.
“A dedicated investigation team probed the suspects to establish the origin of the recovered steel and it came to light that it was from a tower next to the train station outside town. When the scene was visited, the team found what used to be a tower structure in the vicinity,” he said.
Ledwaba said one of the suspects was interviewed further and it was established that some of the steel from the tower had already been sold to a recycling company in Mokopane.
“When the team visited the business, the steel suspected to be from the tower was recovered. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the tower belongs to Telkom and is worth R10m,” his statement read.
Ledwaba said a case of tampering with essential infrastructure was opened and the suspects were detained at the Mokopane Police Station on a charge of possession of suspected stolen goods.
“The recovered steel, worth more than R800 000, as well as a motor vehicle was confiscated. The arrested suspects will be further interviewed to see if they cannot be linked with other cases of this nature,” he said.
