ONE of the 38 ‘trolley pushers’ arrested in Alton and Arboretum last Thursday morning has been linked to a rape case that took place three years ago at Naval Island.
He will appear in the Richards Bay Magistrate’s Court next Thursday.
According to the Richards Bay SAPS, seven other suspects have also been linked through fingerprints to robbery, housebreaking and theft cases reported over the past five years.
These include a shoplifting incident at the Bay Boxer superstore in 2012; a robbery at the Tuzi Gazi Waterfront in 2012; theft at the Formula 1 Richards Bay Hotel; a housebreaking in KwaMbonambi in 2013; two theft cases in Empangeni in 2012 and a theft case in Umhlali in 2009.
The remaining 30 suspects are not connected with any previous misdemeanours and were released from police custody on Saturday.
‘The suspects accused for previous crimes in Empangeni, KwaMbonambi and Umhlali will be detained at their relevant SAPS stations and appear in local courts,’ said Richards Bay SAPS spokesperson Capt Debbie Ferreira.
Second raid
Richards Bay’s police pulled another ‘all-nighter’ operation on Monday, apprehending a further 16 garbage collectors by Tuesday morning.
Seven men were charged with fraud and theft at a scrap metal dealership in Alton; five were taken in for loitering and four were caught in possession of suspected stolen property and housebreaking implements.
They all appeared in court today.
‘We are still investigating possible links between suspects arrested this week and other cases,’ said Ferreira.
‘SAPS detectives and uniformed police members will continue these joint raid operations in an effort to curtail crime.’
Public response
Residents shared mixed feelings in response to news of the arrests made on the Zululand Observer Facebook page on Monday.
While some said ‘it’s about time’ and ‘well done SAPS’, another reader stressed that not all trolley pushers are guilty of committing crimes.
