Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo
13 May 2024
The police in Bethal in collaboration with private security company arrested four suspects aged between 30 and 34 years during business robbery that took place on Sunday 12 May 2024 at Ackerman store.
The arrest came after the police received a complaint about a business robbery in progress at the Ackerman store where four suspects entered the store with two of them being armed with firearms.
It is alleged that the suspects forced everyone in the store to lay down and manager was instructed to open the cellphone cabinet and place all the cellphone in a big bag.
Two of the suspects left the store with different cellphones to the value of Forty thousand Five hundred rands(R40500.00) leaving other two in the store and when the security officers arrived, they closed the door with unarmed suspects inside with customers.
After the door was closed, police arrived at the scene and security officers informed them that there are two suspects locked inside with customers.The police together with the security officers entered the store and the two suspects were pointed out by employees and they were arrested immediately.
They were then taken to Bethal Police Station for further detention.
Further information was received by police that the two suspects that left the store with the stolen property drove away in a red Renault Clio with Gauteng Province registration.
The information was relayed regarding the vehicle to all patrol vehicles within Bethal policing precinct. Secunda Flying Squad responded with positive information regarding the said vehicle with suspects and managed to arrest the two suspects and recovered the stolen cellphones.
Three of the suspects are Zimbabwe Nationals and they could not provide the police with legal documents permitting them to be in the Republic.
All suspects were charged accordingly and will appear before Bethal Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 14 May 2024 facing charges of business robbery.
The Police are collaboratively working with officials from the Department of Home Affairs to ascertain their status in the country.
More charges could possibly be added against them with regard to the contravention of the Immigration Act of South Africa should it be discovered that they do not possess valid documentation thereof.
