Tebogo Msimanga |
A 46-year-old suspect is set to appear in the Cofimvaba Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday 4 August 2021 for allegations of Telkom battery theft worth R900 000 . It is alleged that on 2 August 2021, the members of Crime Intelligence were alerted about the suspicious white Isuzu bakkie which was driving towards Cofimvaba on the Banana Bridge.
Captain Yolisa Mgolodela of Eastern Hawks said as soon as the driver realised that he was being followed, he accelerated and sped off. “During the chase, the driver jumped off the bakkie and ran into the Maya locality in Cofimvaba.”
Mgolondela said the suspect was pursued and arrested. “At the back of the bakkie, 30 batteries with an estimated value of R900 000 were recovered. It was further established that the batteries were stolen from the Telkom towers in Heaven Hills Amalinda and Voorpos in East London.”
Captain Mgolodela added that the suspect is a fugitive who escaped from lawful custody in Queenstown in 2016 and is also linked to a hijacking of a truck carrying sheep wool in Fort Beaufort.
