A 24-year-old year male who was arrested by Reaction Officers more than 30 times in the past was once again apprehended after he stole copper pipes and taps from a property in Brindhaven, KZN.
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) received information that a theft had occurred on Litchi Crescent. Reaction Officers proceeded to the property where it was established that several meters of copper pipe and two taps were stolen.
Officers received a suspect description from a resident in the area. RUSA members conducted an extensive search and apprehended a male matching the description 1.8 kilometers away on Shari Drive in Everest Heights. The suspect was in possession of a plastic packet that contained the stolen goods.
The habitual thief is known to Reaction Officers who arrested him 30 times for theft and burglary prior to him turning 18. He was thereafter remanded to Westville Prison 20 times for different cases. He was released on parole last month (December 2021) after he was found in possession of Heroin by authorities.
During an interview, he informed Reaction Officers he was working with a second person named Wayne who also moonlights as a car guard on Todd Street in the Verulam CBD. The duo is believed to be linked to several property crimes in Brindhaven and surrounding areas. The stolen goods are sold to local scrap metal dealers for R30 per tap.
The suspect is currently detained at the Verulam SAPS.
Copper pipes and taps thief apprehended in Brindhaven https://t.co/RfLY4uXzjS #ArriveAlive #CopperThief #ReactionUnitSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/1BcVV2imhH
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) January 31, 2022
