Somerset West police have made a breakthrough in the house robbery spree that has plagued the Helderberg following the arrest of a 32-year-old man after a high-speed chase on the N2.
According to police, on Wednesday 8 July at 05:45, members of the Somerset West crime prevention unit received information that a vehicle linked to several house robberies was heading towards Cape Town on the N2 highway in Somerset West.
Officers attempted to pull over the silver Honda BRV, close to Gantz Centre in Strand, but the driver avoided the stop and sped off.
A pursuit ensued on the highway in poor weather conditions. During the chase, police noticed several bags being thrown from the vehicle. The unit divided their manpower, with some members collecting the discarded items while others continued pursuing the suspects.
The members tracked down and arrested the 32-year-old suspect, recovering laptops, cameras, watches and a firearm. Other suspects managed to evade arrest.
The 32-year-old man has been charged with possession of an illegal firearm, possession of stolen property and reckless and negligent driving.
He and others have been linked to several house robberies in Somerset West, Kleinmond, Stellenbosch, Bothasig, Table View and Bellville.
Somerset West station commander Col Jacolize Fleischmann commended the members for the outstanding arrest.
The arrest comes after a series of house robberies swept across the Helderberg and Boland regions in recent months (“Robbers on a rampage“, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 24 June).
The most recent known incident in the Helderberg occurred on a farm in Raithby on Friday 19 June, where a victim was held up by five unknown men wearing balaclavas. The victim was tied up and the suspects fled with cellphones, jewellery and other valuables.
That incident followed a similar pattern to five other house robberies in Faure and Stellenbosch involving balaclava-clad men.
Police could not specify which incidents were linked but were confident that more arrests would soon be made.
