The greater external threat to communities may have passed but isolated incidents continue unabated.
Two homes were the scenes of separate robberies, and a third was the starting point of a dramatic chase, Tuesday July 20. In Roodekrans, two suspects were apprehended after being found in possession of goods they had allegedly stolen from a Frangipani Avenue house earlier that day. Around midday, private security companies and Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch (RNW) members tracked three men, alerting police to the suspects still roaming the suburb’s streets.
Perhaps conscious of the closing net, the thieves are said to have abandoned their vehicle to take cover in leafy gardens of the suburb. Once their location was pinned down, police, with the assistance of private security chased the men over walls and through backyards before arresting two of the three fleeing suspects. Those nabbed were found in possession of several household items reported stolen from the house in Frangipani Avenue.
Later that afternoon, at roughly 14:00, an unknown number of thugs invaded a home in Witpoortjie. Two young boys and a domestic worker were at home at the time, with one of the boys reportedly injured by the intruders. Driving a white Hyundai hatchback, the thugs made off with electronic devices as well as the house keys, leaving first responders unable to tend to the injured boy. Upon jumping the wall, paramedics were able to attend to the victim and a traumatised domestic worker.
Roodepoort police spokesperson, Captain Juanita Yorke, confirmed the incidents and thanks go to DMS Security, Absolut Security, Dowry, Fidelity ADT and EC Security for their various roles in tracking and apprehending the Roodekrans suspects. The suspects of the Witpoortjie incident and one suspect from the Roodekrans case are still believed to be on the loose.
