Durban - A 21-year-old man suspected to be behind the theft of several water meters in several areas within Verulam was arrested on Monday.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said a member of the Mountview Community Policing Forum (CPF) contacted Rusa at about 10.32am requesting assistance to apprehend a habitual thief whom he managed to track to Parkgate.
Balram said according to the CPF member he was in possession of CCTV footage linking the suspect to thefts in Mountview.
“Reaction officers were immediately dispatched and met with the complainant approximately 500m from where he spotted the suspect. Officers surrounded the area and approached the man, who was immediately restrained,” he said.
He said it is believed that the suspect is responsible for several thefts in Mountview, Parkgate and Brindhaven.
“The stolen copper and brass is allegedly being sold to unregistered scrap metal dealers in Parkgate and Palmview, KZN,” said Balram.
Balram said the repeat offender was previously arrested in Ottawa by Rusa reaction officers for theft.
“He allegedly served a one-month sentence in Westville Prison for the crime,” he said.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, “The Mercury” reported that a joint operation between Durban’s metro police service, the SAPS, Telkom and Transnet on Sunday uncovered stolen copper valued at R8 million buried underground at a business in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban.
In another incident, two suspects allegedly linked to copper theft in Durban North and Greenwood Park were arrested last week thanks to a diligent neighbour and CCTV footage on Delaware Avenue in the Glenashley area of Durban North.