The theft of non-ferrous metal and the detrimental effect on the economy and infrastructure of the country has made this crime a priority for the Western Cape police. This is exactly what members attached to Laingsburg police had in mind when they embarked on their pursuit to track and trace a group of suspects who was sought for a string of copper cable theft in the area.
The members were alerted on Wednesday evening that cables were stolen from Koup railway stations and their response led them to an area where the burning cables were found. Hot in pursuit of the suspects, the members tracked their spoor throughout the night to a point where they lost radio communication with their colleagues due to the remoteness of the area. In an effort to trace the members and the suspects, the police chopper was deployed, which ended with the arrest of eight suspects aged between 27 and 37 yesterday. The value of the recovered copper cable is estimated at R 300 000-00.
The suspects are expected to make their court appearance in Laingsburg on Monday where they will face 15 theft cases of Spoornet copper cable estimated at R 1200 000-00.
