A group of Hanover Park skollies is behind bars after they were caught red-handed with a stash of stolen copper cables on Sunday.
According to a source, the six members of the Ghetto Kidz gang were caught by wakker Law Enforcement officers of the Rail Enforcement Unit (REU) while they were stripping the cables shortly after a theft
incident near Claremont Train Station.
The unit received a tip-off shortly before 10am about the group of men seen stripping the cables on a veldjie in Induland Crescent.
“They were making an illegal fire and when officers arrived, they found the skins of the cables lying next to the fire, but the copper cables on the fire.
LOOT: Prasa’s copper cables
“They started to run and the officers gave chase and arrested all of them. The markings on the skins of the cables show it belongs to Prasa.”
The source says one of the skollies was involved in a cable theft incident in Claremont earlier on Sunday and escaped from cops by running through a bush, but was later caught with his fellow gang members.
Metrorail spokesperson, Riana Scott, confirmed the arrests and says the suspects were arrested for various offences, including theft, damage to Prasa infrastructure, possession of drugs and stolen property.
She says the value of the cables has not yet been determined and could not indicate if this was the same cables stolen in Claremont.
Police spokesperson, Siyabulela Malo, confirms the arrest and says the six men, aged between 32 and 59, are expected to appear in court soon.