Six suspects are expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court in Gauteng on Monday on charges of possession of suspected stolen property.
This follows an operation conducted by members of the South African Police Services (SAPS) in Norkem Park.
The provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said officers were armed with a search warrant and pounced on the address in the Birch Acres suburb of Kempton Park.
Police officers arrested six men alleged to have been stealing diesel routinely.
“The search warrant was granted upon this suspicion. Apart from the 5,000 litres of diesel that were found, the officers also seized three vehicles, 58 cellphones, three laptops, 80 bank cards, three batteries (one lithium and two Vodacom), 12 diesel containers, two air pistols, two petrol pumps. The combined value of all the recovered items came to approximately R1 million,” Nevhuhulwi said.
The suspects are aged between 23 and 45.
Police also confirmed three of the arrested suspects are employees of the depot from which the diesel was stolen.
The Police Commissioner in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela lauded the team from Norkem Park that conducted the search, arrests and recovery.
“We send our gratitude to the Norkem Park team that carried out this search and the subsequent arrests and recoveries. This will clearly send a clear message to the criminal elements that they will be swiftly dealt with,” Mawela said.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL