Byline: Nonjanuliso Nhlambo
15 May 2024
Aron Mlambo (33), Bukhosibakhe Mtshali (44), Brian Maphosa (34) and Cleopas Ndlovu (32) appeared before the Bethal magistrates court on Tuesday, 14 May 2024 for legal representation.
It is alleged that the suspects forced everyone in the store to lay down, and the manager was instructed to open the cellphone cabinet and place all the cellphones in a big bag.
Two of the suspects left the store with different cellphones worth forty thousand five hundred rands, leaving the other two in the store, and when the security officers arrived, they closed the door with the unarmed suspects inside with customers.
After the door was closed, police arrived at the scene, and security officers informed them that there were 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. The said suspects were arrested immediately and were then taken to the Bethal Police Station for further detention.
Further information was received by police that the two suspects who 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 the Bethal policing precinct. The Secunda Flying Squad responded with positive information regarding the said vehicle and suspects and managed to arrest the two suspects and recover the stolen cellphones.
The matter was then postponed to 21 May 2024 for formal bail application; all accused were remanded in custody.
