Three police officers have been arrested for business robbery and pointing a firearm at a Mfuleni spaza shop.
Image: File
Three Nyanga police officers have been arrested for a business robbery that occurred five months ago.
The constables allegedly took money and cigarettes from a spaza shop in Extension 2 in Mfuleni on October 1, 2024.
According to a police incident report, the members of the Visible Policing unit were in their uniform and driving the state vehicle when the crime was committed.
“The members robbed a shop of R 5 600 as well as cigarettes to the value of R6 930.
“The Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) of the vehicle with cell phone records put members on the scene.
“The case was initially investigated by Crime Intelligence Division (CID) members of Mfuleni, which later handed the docket over to the Anti-Corruption Unit.
“The members were arrested on Monday as they were about to start their last night shift before going on rest days.”
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie said the provincial Anti-Corruption Unit arrested the three officials in connection with charges of business robbery and pointing of a firearm.
“The three aged 28, 28 and 29 were arrested at Nyanga SAPS when they reported for duty yesterday.
“Investigation reveals that the members were on duty at SAPS Nyanga when at about 9pm the three members visited a Somalian shop in Mfuleni and requested to search the shop. It is alleged that the police officials then demanded access to the room where cash and cigarettes were kept.
“When the owner refused, they pulled their firearms and forced the owner at gunpoint to open the safety room, from where they took an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes. The owner and his two brothers were guarded by accomplices in the backroom.
“The police officials then loaded the cigarettes into the SAPS vehicle and drove off. The owner of the shop managed to follow the suspects in his private vehicle and took a video of the police vehicle in question and later reported the matter to the Western Cape Anti-Corruption Unit for investigation.”
Pojie added that after a thorough investigation by the unit, the docket was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who then decided to charge the members for business robbery and pointing a firearm.
“Subsequently, a warrant of arrest was issued and executed on the same day. The members are detained at Mfuleni SAPS police cells and are scheduled to appear at the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court."
Cape Times