Police in Standerton have arrested four “mischievous” parolees after they were found with a consignment of items suspected to have been stolen during a housebreaking incident committed at a shop.
Spokesperson for the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the break-in happened in Standerton on Saturday night.
“The Standerton police in partnership with other stakeholders launched a massive search for the perpetrators and their hard work paid off as information led them to a certain house where the four suspects, aged between 32 and 36, were found with suspected stolen items, as well as loose dagga,” Mohlala narrated.
During further investigations, police discovered that the suspects they had arrested had been released on parole just last month.
“Given the spate of burglary cases reported in the Standerton area, the investigators cannot rule out possibilities that these suspects could have been involved. The probe will not only be limited to housebreakings, but also to check whether the arrested parolees were not implicated in other offences,” said Mohlala.
The suspects are expected to appear before the Standerton Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, facing the charges related to house-breaking and theft, as well as possession of suspected stolen property.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed the arrest, and commended the “positive partnership” displayed between the police and law enforcement agencies.
“We are working closely with the Department of Justice and Correctional Services so that mischievous parolees are arrested and returned to correctional facilities whenever they violate their conditions,” said Manamela.
IOL