The stolen goods were allegedly robbed from an Exact store in Heilbron, Free State on Saturday (May 7).
Members from the EMPD Tracing Unit were on routine patrol when they noticed a suspicious looking white BMW with four male occupants.
Wilfred Kgasago, EMPD spokesman, says the officers stopped the vehicle and during the search they discovered suspected stolen cellphones, cellphone chargers and headphones.
The four Malawian nationals were arrested and the suspected stolen goods confiscated.
“Upon further investigation, the suspects admitted they had stolen the goods from a shop in Heilbron on May 7,” says Kgasago.
The arrested suspects stated they gained entry via the store’s roof to steal the cellphones and other goods.
Following in-depth investigations, it emerged that between Saturday (May 7) and Sunday (May 8) nights, in addition to the Heilbron Exact store robbery, the Wesselbron branch was also hit in the same manner.
“A month prior to the two crimes, an Odendaalsrus Exact branch suffered the same fate,” says Kgasago.
Extensive investigations will be done to see if the four suspects can be linked to the break-ins that occurred at the other two shops.
The four men, aged between 23 and 40 years, were detained at Springs Police Station on charges of possession of suspected stolen goods.
They were due to appear in the Springs Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (May 11).
