Pretoria - Almost 200 suspects were arrested in and around the Joburg policing district this weekend for serious crimes including rape, cash-in-transit robbery, possession of a hijacked vehicle and dealing in drugs.
Police spokesperson in the Joburg District, Captain Xoli Mbele, said the suspects were arrested in areas including Mondeor, Sophiatown, Brixton, Fairlands, Langlaagte, Booysens, Moffat View and the Johannesburg central area.
“The 196 suspects were apprehended by Joburg central cluster stations in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies for various offences during crime combating operations that were conducted from Friday, August 12,” said Mbele.
“Among the suspects apprehended during the operations: four were arrested for rape, 13 for domestic violence, one for cash in transit, two for possession of a hijacked motor vehicle, three for common robbery, 13 for selling liquor without a licence, five for dealing in drugs, 10 for possession of drugs and 16 for drunk driving.”
The rest of the suspects were apprehended for allegedly committing crimes including assault, armed robbery, possession of suspected stolen property, shoplifting, malicious damage to property, theft, fraud, break-ins, intimidation and being undocumented.”
Most of the suspects were scheduled to appear in various magistrate’s courts around Joburg.
Also, a father and his two sons are today appearing in court after they were arrested when police rescued a woman who was kidnapped during a hijacking in Sedibeng, Gauteng, last week.
“A multi-disciplinary operation involving members of the head office crime intelligence (unit) and police in Sedibeng have cracked yet another kidnapping case when they arrested three suspects, a father and his two sons, for the alleged kidnapping of a 27-year-old woman,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
The police team received information on Thursday last week that two women were allegedly hijacked and kidnapped when driving at Polokong in Sedibeng, south of Joburg.
“One woman was found along the N1 South on the same night and the hijacked vehicle was also recovered. The search for the other woman ensued and she was rescued unharmed on Saturday, August 6,” said Netshiunda.
“The team continued to search for the suspects and eventually made the breakthrough on Thursday, August 11, when they arrested the suspects at Evaton West,” he said.
The vehicle allegedly used during the commission of the crime was also found in the possession of the suspects.
Netshiunda said a firearm and an undisclosed amount of money were also found at the premises.
“The three suspects, aged 45, 27 and 21, will appear before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Monday,” he said.
IOL