Cape Town - Seventeen suspects are expected to appear in court on charges of possession of a prohibited firearm, ammunition as well as fraud after police were alerted of two isolated incidents on Friday.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said an integrated operation conducted in the city centre was led by members of the SAPS. Five male and nine female foreign nationals were arrested on a charge of fraud.
“The members entered a local hotel where they found 14 foreign nationals.
“They searched the room and confiscated three Apple MacBooks, 13 Apple pro iPhones, including bank cards and fraudulent ID books. It is alleged that the suspects booked into the hotel and paid with the fraudulent bank cards,” said Swartbooi.
Once charged, the suspects will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on these charges.
In an unrelated intervention, Lentegeur police’s Serious and Violent Crimes unit members were busy with tracing operations on Friday in New Woodlands at 8am when they followed up on information about a wanted suspect who is an IGB gang member (Inglorious Bastards) driving in a green Fiat Uno.
Lentegeur station commander, Umavathie Rameshwarnath, said the suspect was wanted on a warrant of arrest for failing to appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on a case of possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.
“The members spotted and stopped the vehicle. They found three men aged 25, 32 and 35 inside, including the wanted suspect. While searching the vehicle, the members found an unlicensed CZ75 pistol with 30 rounds and an extended magazine under the driver’s seat of the vehicle. All three were arrested and detained”.
The suspects are due to appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court today.