Two suspects, aged 26 and 34 are expected to appear before Nelspruit Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 18 December 2023 after they were reportedly caught red handed with suspected stolen items worth about R7 000 from a clothing shop at Ilanga Mall yesterday, Wednesday 13 December 2023.
The suspects were arrested after close surveillance was conducted following allegations that the duo was involved in a string of shoplifting activities at Riverside Mall in Nelspruit.
The suspects allegedly stole a lot of clothes and fled the Shopping Mall with a white VW Polo.
The suspects were traced down by the Crime intelligence to Ilanga Mall in Nelspruit where close monitoring was conducted and it is alleged that they further stole five jackets then concealed the items inside a paperbag lined with a foil so as to prevent tag detection on the exit door of the shop.
Members from Nelspruit Visible Policing were activated, and information was operationalised. The suspects were then cornered and found with the five suspected stolen jackets.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the two suspects are from Kanyamazane outside Nelspruit. The suspects might be possibly involved in other shoplifting cases at Riverside Mall. Investigators are adamant that the arrested suspects could as well be implicated in business robbery cases where mobile phones were stolen and of course not ruling out their possible involvement in reported armed robberies whereby a VW Polo was reported to have been used.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has applauded the excellent work done through keeping close monitoring of the suspects as well as the swift reaction by Nelspruit SAPS members. The General used the opportunity to warn criminals and highlighted that during festive seasons, perpetrators often take advantage of the crowded shopping Malls to commit crime, thinking that they will get away with it but they are mistaken this time around.
“We will keep our boots on the ground and do our best to prevent crime, including at the shopping malls and other strategic areas. Criminals should be warned that they do not have a place to carry out their activities in Mpumalanga,” said the General.
