A man was tied up and held captive with the rest of his family during a burglary in Stella Londt Road, Sunridge Park yesterday morning, July 5.
At approximately 07:30, the 46-year-old complainant was waiting for his children to take them to school when three
unknown men with firearms walked into the house. He was tied up with cable
ties and taken to the bedroom where the rest of the family was held.
Police spokesperson, Col. Priscilla Naidu, said that two safes, laptops, cell phones, jewellery and other household items were loaded
into the complainant’s vehicle, a white Hyundai Atos and driven away. The
complainant managed to free himself and alert police.
“Once the vehicle was circulated, all police vehicles were alerted
to be on the lookout for the suspects. At about 10:00, members from the District
Crime Combatting Unit, Gqeberha K9 Unit and a private security guard, after
receiving information, swooped in on a house in Nolulamo Street in Joe
Slovo. Two suspects were found in the living room trying to open the safe,” Naidu said. “One
suspect (age unknown) was found hiding in the ceiling. A .38 revolver was
recovered. The Anti-Gang Unit and SAPS Mount Road members also provided back-up
for their colleagues,” she added.
A 9mm pistol was also found in a cupboard. Several rounds of
ammunition, cell phones, two laptops, jewellery and other items taken in the
house robbery were recovered. The suspects were arrested and detained on charges of the illegal
possession of firearms and ammunition, house robbery and the possession of
suspected stolen property.
The stolen vehicle was recovered by SAPS Kariega members who
found the vehicle abandoned in bushes on the Old Uitenhage Road.
“SAPS Mount Road detectives will be profiling the suspects in an
attempt to link them to several house robberies recently committed in the
Sunridge area with the same modus operandi and similar description of the
suspects,” Naidu said.
Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner, Maj. Gen. Vuyisile Ncata, applauded the excellent arrests and recovery by all those involved. “Criminals
must never think that they can outsmart the police. We will exert ourselves
in our quest to deliver our mandate of protecting our citizens. I urge
the communities to report criminal activities wherever and whenever they notice
anything suspicious. Criminals are living and hiding among us in our
communities, therefore we need to strengthen community-police relations in order
to bring down the levels of crime in our areas,” Ncata added.
