On Tuesday 5 September, law enforcement personnel from various units in Bloemfontein, including the Bloemfontein Flying Squad, Provincial Anti-Gang Unit, Bloemfontein K9 Unit, and the Parkweg Crime Prevention Unit, received information regarding a robbery that had occurred on Letsoala Street in Rocklands.
According to reports, five unidentified men targeted the owner of a local tuck shop shortly after he had parked his vehicle in front of the establishment.
During the incident, one of the suspects used a firearm, forcing the tuck shop owner to lie on the ground. Following this, the assailants fled on foot with an undisclosed sum of money.
Upon reaching the crime scene, law enforcement officers were provided with a detailed description of the suspects, and a lookout was issued to patrolling units. Subsequently, all five suspects were located and apprehended in the vicinity of a church on Letsoala Street. The police also recovered suspected stolen items, and one firearm was confiscated.
The five male suspects, aged between 33 and 43, are scheduled to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate Court on charges of robbery with a firearm.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, a member of the Highway Patrol received information concerning a woman who was reportedly in possession of copper cable at a residence in Freedom Square, Bloemfontein.
In response to this information, law enforcement officers carried out an operation that led them to the specified residence. Inside the female suspect’s home, copper cable with an estimated value of R20 000 was discovered. Preliminary investigations have indicated that this cable was allegedly stolen from an electricity supplier in Bloemfontein.
The 35-year-old female suspect has been arrested and will face charges related to damage to essential infrastructure and possession of suspected stolen property in court.
Compiled by Warren Hawkins
